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CANADA ON THE PACIFIC. 



CANADA ON THE PACIFIC 



BEING AN ACCOUNT OF 



A JOURNEY FROM EDMONTON TO THE PACIFIC 
BY THE PEACE RIVER VALLEY ; 



AND OF 



A Winter Voyage along the Western Coast 
of the Dominion ; 



REMARKS ON THE PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE 

PACIFIC RAILWAY ROUTE AND NOTICES 

OF THE INDIAN TRIBES OF 

BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



/ 



BY CHARLES HORETZKY 






\ 



MONTREAL: 
DAWSON BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS 

187 4. 



1 

G ,H,6 



34188 



Entered according to Act of Parliament, in the year one thousand eight hundred 
and seventy-four, by Dawson Brothers, in the Cffice of the Minister of 
Agriculture and Statistics of the Dominion of Canada. 





TO THE 

HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, 

PREMIER, AND MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS 
OF THE DOMINION OF CANADA, 

THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE, 
BY KIND PERMISSION, RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 



BY THE AUTHOR. 




PBEFACE. 



HE following narrative comprises an account of 
a journey made to the Western Province of 
the Dominion, through a comparatively little known 
portion of the " Nor'-West " territory, and of a 
voyage along the whole Pacific coast of Canada. 

The writer organized and conducted the over- 
land expedition of Mr. Sandford Fleming, from Fort 
Garry to Edmonton, during the summer of 1872; 
and it was at the instance of that gentleman, who 
desired to exhaust the whole field of enquiry, be- 
fore deciding upon a route for the Canada Pacific 
road, that the journey about to be described, was 
undertaken. 

The Pine River Summit Lake Pass, referred to in 
this sketch, would also have been explored by me 
had time and circumstances permitted : but the period 
allotted for the journey, which included a visit to 
the river Skeena, compelled me to abandon the 
investigation of that locality. To the officers of the 
Hudson's Bay Company, without exception, the best 
thanks are due for the hearty welcome and aid 
extended to Mr. Macoun (my colleague), and myself, 



iv Preface. 

during our journey. To Lieutenant Ballantyne, late 
of H. M. S. Sparrow-havjk, and Capt. Lewis, of H. B. 
Co.'s steamer Otter, I am indebted for much valuable 
information regarding the harbours, and also the 
Indians of the British Columbian coast. Mr. Macoun, 
botanist, of Belleville, Ont., has also contributed very 
important data regarding the flora and growing cap- 
abilities of the Peace Biver country. In the section 
exhibited, from Lesser Slave Lake to the Fraser 
River, the reader will kindly bear in mind that 
absolute correctness is not to be expected. The 
elevations may be erroneous to the extent of one or 
two hundred feet ; and I shall consider my deductions 
fortunate, if I am within a hundred feet of the truth. 
To those conversant with engineering technicalities 
and the fluctuations of atmospheric pressure, these 
remarks are of course unnecessary. 

Chas. Horetzky. 



Ottawa, February, 1874 



C01^TEN"TS. 



CHAPTER I. 
EDMONTON TO ASSINIBOINE. 

PAGE. 

The Start for Peace River — Object of the Tour — Outline of 
Intended Route — Confused and Discouraging Reports — Our 
Party — Dinner alfresco — How to Cook Pemmican — A Mis- 
cellaneous Cavalcade — Mackenzie River Watershed — Lake 
La Nonne — The Odometer — Fording the Pembina — Heavy 
Timber — Reach Fort Assiniboine 1 

CHAPTER II. 

ASSINIBOINE TO LESSER SLAVE LAKE. 

Description of the Fort — A lazy Half-breed — The Clearwater 
— Chain of Swamps — Pack train Travelling — Rich Pastu- 
rage — Lesser Slave Lake — Skirting the Lake — The Traverse 
— Effective Shooting — Roman Catholic Missions in the 
North-West— Climate 16 

CHAPTER III. 

LESSER SLAVE LAKE TO DUNVEGAN. 

A Delightful Country— The Grand Muskeg — Half-way to 
Peace River — Back into the Prairies — A Rude Awakening 
— Prairie Fire — A Cache— The Great Peace River Valley 
— Noble Landscape — A Grateful Surprise — Dunvegan 29 



viii Contents. 

CHAPTER IV. 

DUN VEGAN TO FORT ST. JOHN. 

Page. 
Farming Facilities — Minerals — Eare Field for the Geologist 

—The Grande Prairie — A Grizzly — More Sociable than 
Pleasant — Pine Eiver — Burnt District —Indian Encamp- 
ment — Route over the Pocky Mountains — Obstinacy of 
Indian Guides 41 

CHAPTER V. 
FORT ST. JOHN TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN PORTAGE. 

Glimpse of Rocky Mountains — Portage Hill — Old Buffalo 
Tracks — Moose Steak — Mountain Terraces — A Stampede 
— Amateur Rafting — Riviere du Milieu — Hudson's Hope 
— Conversation under difficulties — Terrific Storm — Le Ra- 
pide qui ne parle pas , 52 

CHAPTER VI. 
ROCKY MOUNTAIN PORTAGE TO STEWARDS LAKE. 

Past the Rocky Mountains — The Parsnip — Hardihood of In- 
dian Voyageurs — A Mining Pioneer —Lake McLeod — First 
Winter Camp — Sagacious Dogs — Route of the Canada 
Pacific Railroad — Lake Stewart — Salmon — Fort St. James 
— Hudson Bay Company and North- West Discontent 65 

CHAPTER VII. 
STEWART'S LAKE TO HAZELTON. 

Comfortless Encampment — Trout Fishing Extraordinary — 
The City of Hog'em — Frying Pan Pass — Lake Babine — 
Paddling for Life — Little Babine and Susqua — Invited to 
Christmas 83 

CHAPTER VIII. 

HAZELTON. 
Physical Features — The Skeena — An Indian Ranche — Rom- 
antic Bridge — Curious Carving — Christmas at the Diggings 



Contents. ix 

PAGE. 

— Up the Skeena — The Wotsonqua — A "Cholera Box" — 
American Enterprise at fault — A hideous Canon — Charac- 
teristics of Miners 102 

CHAPTER IX. 

HAZELTON TO NAAS. 

Routes to the Coast — A Chinook Vocabulary useful — Skirt- 
ing a Frozen River — Kitsigeuhle — Unpromising Quarters 
— A Greasy Caravan — Kitwangar Valley — Kitwancole — 
Pagan Orgies — Ingenious Carving — An Indian Mart — Lake 
Scenery — Welpamtoots — Valley of the Chean-howan — 
Trail lost — Muskeeboo — "Yorkshire" Indian — A Trying 
Walk — Naas Scenery — Alaska visible — Indian Suspension 
Bridge — Beyond the Chean-howan Canon — Valuable Silver 
Lode — Basaltic Columns — A Native Bal Masque" — Kitawn. 113 

CHAPTER X. 

NAAS TO FORT SIMPSON. 

Detained by Rain — Hazardous Canoeing — Camping on the 
Sea Coast — Geographical Outlines — Salmon Cove — Obser- 
vatory Inlet — An Avalanche — Naas Harbour — South Inlet 
— A Critical Five Minutes — Work Channel — Chimsean 
Peninsula — Birnie Island— Arrival at Fort Simpson — The 
Harbour — American Military Post — Moral and Religious 
Condition of the Indians — Canoe Building — Agricultural 
Facilities 134 

CHAPTER XI. 

FORT SIMPSON TO NANAIMO. 

On board the "Otter"— A "played-out" Boiler— Rose Spit 
—Graham Island — Masset Harbour — Clams — Mineral 
Wealth— A N or'-Easter— Dundas Island— Fort Simpson 
again— Porcher Island— Arthur Channel— Seaforth— Bella 
Bella— Dean Channel— Bella Coula— The Old Route to 
Fraser River— Perilous Anchorage— King Island— Safety 



x Contents. 



PAG8. 



Cove — Queen Charlotte Sound — Beaver Harbour — Descrip- 
tion of Scenery — Discovery Passage — Alberni Canal — The 
Canada Pacific Route — Cape Mudge — Port Augusta — Off 
Nanaimo , 152 

CHAPTER XII. 
Geology of Vancouver Island 169 

CHAPTER XIII. 

NANAIMO TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

Nanaimo — San Juan: — The Boundary Dispute — Victoria — 
Esquimault — Olympia — Opposition Stages — A Humiliating 
Break-down — Washington Territory — A Model Hotel — 
Reach Portland — On board the " Oriflamme" — Astoria — 
Arrival at San Francisco 184 

CHAPTER XIV. 
The Canada Pacific Route , 194 

APPENDIX I. 
The Indians of British Columbia 210 

APPENDIX II. 

On the Topography, Climate and Geology of the Western 
limit of the Fertile Belt, with some remarks upon the 
Rocky Mountains and the Peace River , 225 






; 



r 



A 



120° 119° 






118' 



CHAPTER I. 

EDMONTON TO ASSINIBOTNE. 

The Start for Peace River— Object of the Tour — Outline of In- 
tended Route — Confused and Discouraging Reports — Our Party 
— Dinner alfresco — How to Cook Pemmican — A Miscellaneous 
Cavalcade — Mackenzie River Watershed — Lake La Nonne — 
The Odometer — Fording the Pembina — Heavy Timber — Reach 
Fort Assiniboine. 

" 33 URRAH for the Peace River ! " Such was 
(tjit-*- the joyous exclamation of our botanist, 
as, after waving an affectionate adieu to our late 
travelling companions, he turned upon his heel, 
and remarked to me in a manner peculiarly his 
own, " Now we shall soon settle McLeod's theory." 

It must here be remarked by way of explanation 
that in the early part of 1872 a pamphlet, styled 
" The Peace River," had been published in the city 
of Ottawa, setting forth the possibility of a line of 
communication between the Eastern and Western 
parts of the Dominion of Canada, by the Valley of 
the Peace River. The author of the article in ques- 
tion had, with great ingenuity, aided by extracts 
from an old Hudson's Bay Officer's Journal and 



2 Canada on the Pacific. 

Diary, in imagination levelled up from the shores of 
Hudson's Bay to the summit of Peace Kiver Pass, 
and after very closely (as~will be shown during the 
course of this narrative) approximating to its eleva- 
tion above the sea, urged the theory of a railroad 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, by that route. The 
Chief Engineer of the Canadian Pacific road, struck 
by the possible advantages of such a highway, chose 
the writer of these notes to make a reconnaissance 
of that pass, and ascertain, as nearly as possible, its 
actual elevation. With this object in view, I left 
Edmonton in the beginning of September, 1872, ac- 
companied by Dr. Macoun, an eminent botanist, en 
route for the Pacific coast. 

Let the reader take up a good map of British 
Columbia, and thereon draw a line from Edmonton 
to Fort Assiniboine on the Athabasca ; thence, let 
him make a series of zigzag courses to the south- 
western extremity of Lesser Slave Lake, then north- 
westerly to the confluence of the Smoky River with 
the Great Peace ; from that point, in nearly a straight 
line, across the country lying north of that stream, 
to Dun vegan; next follow the Peace River through the 
Rocky Mountain Range toMcLeod's Lake, and thence 
to Fort St. James on Lake Stewart, and he wi]i have 
traced the first part of a very interesting journey, — 
interesting not only for its novelty, but also on ac- 
count of the varied and magnificent scenery through 
which it was made. 



The Start for Peace River. 3 

Having, as already remarked, bade adieu to our 
late compagnons de voyage, and having seen them 
-fairly under weigh for Jasper House, it now behoved 
me to make preparations for the Peace River journey, 
and as the season was already advanced no time was 
to be lost. A circumstance which lent an additional 
zest to our contemplated trip was the fact that we 
were in complete ignorance as to the proper means 
of procedure and the time necessary to accomplish 
the journey. Nobody at Edmonton could tell us 
.aught regarding the Rocky Mountain Passes north 
of the Tete Jaune Cache. In vain did we seek for 
information as to our proposed journey. All the 
positive information we did obtain was that a Hud- 
son Bay Company's boat annually descended the 
Peace River to the Rocky Mountain Portage, for the 
supply of leather required for the Indian trade in 
New Caledonia ; but that boat had already been 
down and had long since returned to the west side 
of the mountains, and our chances of getting through 
to McLeod's Lake before the winter set in were very 
slim indeed. In fact, everybody was too willing to 
impart what knowledge he possessed, but as that 
was generally of a negative and contradictory cha- 
racter, we derived but little satisfaction or advantage 
from it. We were told by one party that such and 
such a route was^not to be thought of; by another, 
that we might possibly make very slow and tedious 
.progress on foot through the dense forests of the 



4 Canada on the Pacific. 

Peace River, but that it would be folly to think of 
taking horses ; and a third, and veritable Job's com- 
forter, coolly affirmed that we would never be able 
to cross the " Grand Muskeg," which was described 
as infinitely worse than the famous dismal swamp of 
Virginia. 

These conflicting and adverse statements, although 
rather disheartening, did not prevent my choice of 
some well-defined course, and I determined to strike 
across the country to Fort Assiniboine, and thence 
over the swampy and barren grounds intervening 
between it and the Lesser Slave Lake. But we had 
to bide our time. Two Hudson's Bay clerks, then at 
Edmonton, had received peremptory instructions 
from their superior officer at Fort Garry to imme- 
diately proceed to New Caledonia (a district of 
British Columbia) by the way of Peace River, and, 
as a matter of course, all the resources of Edmonton, 
in the way of horses, men and provisions, were laid 
under contribution in order to expedite their journey. 
This circumstance, coupled with the fact that Mr. 
Fleming had been supplied with the pick of men and 
horses for his trip to Jasper House,. augured unfavour- 
ably for us, and added not a little to our anxiety. 
Notwithstanding those drawbacks, T set about mak- 
ing preparations for the journey as fast as it could be 
done under the circumstances ; but little assistance, 
however, could be expected from the Company until 
Messrs. Y. and K. had been disposed of. On the 2nd 



The Start for Peace River. b 

of September those gentlemen's preparations being 
completed, they took their departure, kindly promis- 
ing to smooth the way for us by leaving advice of 
our expected advent at every post they should pass ; 
and, whilst bidding us farewell, adding that we 
should meet again only on the west side of the Rocky 
Mountains, as they would travel with customary 
Hudson's Bay celerity. The botanist, whose coun- 
tenance during our affecting leave-taking of Messrs. 
Y. and K. had assumed a rueful and comically sad 
expression, especially upon their allusion to our keep- 
ing the rear all the way to Lake McLeod, remarked, 
after the last of the cavalcade had disappeared 
through the main gate of the fort, that " It was too 
bad to be left behind in this off-hand manner." 
" Never mind, my dear Mac," said I ; " we may not 
be so much behind them after all ; and as they in- 
tend proceeding by canoe from Fort Assiniboine to 
Lesser Slave Lake, we may steal a march on them, 
and possibly get ahead of them yet." 

The fact that provisions would not be readily ob- 
tainable when once away from Edmonton, until we 
reached Fort McLeod or the Omenica mines, ren- 
dered it imperative to carry supplies in quantity suf- 
ficient for a journey of nine weeks' duration. I ac- 
cordingly packed up 2301bs. of flour, 121bs. of tea, 
241bs. of sugar, and sundries, besides 1501bs. of pern- 
mican (equal quantities of finely pounded dried buffalo 
meat and grease) ; meat and tea we expected to find 



6 Canada on the Pacific. 

at airp of the solitary establishments of the Hudson's 
Bay Company which we might pass. Pack saddles 
and sundry horse trappings had to be made and 
fitted, men had to be chosen, and horses picked out 
from amongst the somewhat ill-conditioned animals 
left at the Company's horse-guard. In the mean- 
time, Mr. Mac, who was to be my fellow traveller as 
far as Fort St. James, on Lake Stewart, whence he 
was to proceed to Quesnel and Victoria, busied him- 
self in scouring the surrounding country in search of 
further botanical additions to his already bulky col- 
lection. 

Our party, when ready, consisted of four persons, 
viz. : — the botanist, myself, and two hired men, one 
of them an English miner, named Robert Armstrong, 
recently arrived from, the Omenica diggings on the 
Peace River, and who desired to return thither, having 
evidently failed to appreciate the society and advan- 
tages of the Upper Saskatchewan ; the other, an 
English half-breed, by name Thomas, who turned 
out to be as lazy a rascal as ever munched pemmi- 
can. Of horses, we had six to pack and four to ride, 
making ten in all. 

After many vexatious delays, Mr. Macoun, the two 
men, with nine horses and two carts (the latter I 
had decided to take as far as wheels could be made 
use of), left Edmonton on the 3rd of September, 
while I remained behind, intending to overtake them 
on the following day. My object in staying behind 



How to Cook Pemmican. 7 

was to complete some barometric observations and 
settle accounts with Mr. Hardisty, whose kindness 
and hospitality had been unvarying. On the 4th, 
after breakfast and 1 saying " Good-bye" to the in- 
mates of the Fort, I mounted my little nag, gained 
the high ground immediately behind the Fort, and 
taking a last look at the Saskatchewan, turned my 
horse's head towards Lake St. Albert, which I reached 
after a pleasant ride of nine miles. My first visit was 
to my old friend, Mr. Chastellain, who immediately 
saddled a horse, and expressed his intention of ac- 
companying me for the first few miles towards Lake 
la Nonne. Before leaving, we paid a visit to his 
Lordship, Bishop Grandin, and the Oblat mission- 
aries, who have a large establishment here. These 
gentlemen would not allow me to depart without 
partaking of some collation ; so we were detained 
until the forenoon was far advanced, and it was 
nearly eleven o'clock before we managed to escape 
from our kind friends. The day being fair, but 
cloudy, we rode along pleasantly for seven or eight 
miles, when Mr. Chastellain, after wishing all kinds 
of good luck to our expedition, turned his horse 
homewards, and I was left to pursue my way alone 
over the beautiful and undulating country. 

At 1 p.m. I overtook our little train, which had 
stopped by the side of a small creek, and found the 
botanist and the two men busily and pleasantly em- 
ployed preparing dinner. The preparation of this 



8 Canada on the Pacific. 

meal, and indeed of all our meals, which were un- 
varying in kind and quality, simply consisted in the 
pounding up with an axe of a couple of pounds of 
buffalo pemmican, which, after receiving an addition 
of water and a sprinkling of flour, was placed in a 
frying-pan, and heated. This mixture, together with 
tea and bread, was our daily food during the whole 
journey to McLeod's Lake, and, although very unin- 
viting to a tyro, is the strongest food and the best 
for the traveller. One great advantage of pemmican 
is its portability. It can be compressed into very 
small bulk. A bag containing lOOlbs. net weight 
measures but three feet in length by about ten inches 
in width, and will serve four men over a month. 
Our horses were quietly feeding on the rich and nu- 
tritious grass which lined the banks of the creek 
Those animals were of all shades of colour, and no 
two were alike in size. They were of the hardy little 
breed peculiar to the Saskatchewan country, and, 
though not much to look at, were possessed of qualities 
of endurance hardly to be expected from animals of 
their appearance. The horses, like the half-breeds 
of the country, understood a jargon, half French, half 
Cree Indian, and answered to such names as Bichon, 
Rouge, Noir, Sacr£ Diable, &c. I noticed with some 
concern, however, that one or two of them had a 
slight tendency to sore back, but Armstrong, the 
miner, had seen to them, and had, with great fore- 
thought, fitted relieving pads to the saddles. 



Resumption of the Journey. 9 

Dinner being despatched, we saddled up again and 
resumed our journey. From Lake St. Albert to this 
point the land had been gradually rising westward, 
and we were approaching the dividing ridge be- 
tween the waters of the Saskatchewan and those of 
the Mackenzie River. The character of the country 
was also beginning to change. Before dinner, prairie 
had prevailed over wood, but now the clumps of 
aspen and poplar became larger, and occurred more 
frequently, and the trees themselves began to assume 
a greater size. A few spruce trees appeared occa- 
sionally, and we saw that we were soon to leave the 
prairie behind us, at least for a time. As we left our 
dinner camp, a few drops of rain began to fall, and 
the clouds, which since morning had been gradually 
accumulating, being now surcharged, a steady rain 
set in, which continued without intermission until 
late the following morning. We had no alterna- 
tive, however, but to go on, and we halted only at 
six o'clock by a fine lake of fresh water, having ac- 
complished a distance of about thirty-four miles from 
Edmonton. After considerable trouble and delay we 
lighted a roaring fire, and, having pitched our tent, 
we proceeded to make ourselves comfortable for the 
night. 

September 5th. — Still raining this morning, and in 
consequence we remained in camp until 9.30 a.m., 
when, the weather showing signs of improvement, 
we packed up and moved on through the woods in 



10 Canada on the Pacific. 

the direction of Lake la Nonne. Travelling this 
forenoon was particularly disagreeable, the long grass 
and bushes being laden with rain, and at every step, 
notwithstanding the utmost care, we received a per- 
fect shower-bath. As we advanced, the trail began 
to change considerably for the worse, the ground be- 
coming hilly and broken, and windfalls blocking up 
the road at frequent intervals. Several times during 
this forenoon's march we had to exert our united 
strength to extricate the carts from the many quag- 
mires which we could not avoid, and at 1 p.m., when 
we stopped for an hour to rest our horses and boil 
our tea kettle, we had only made six miles by the 
odometer. 

After dinner we resumed our march, the road be- 
coming much worse, and in some places impassable 
for the carts, which, at every few yards, kept sink- 
ing up to the hubs. Two miles of this abominable 
road took us out into higher and drier ground, where 
the trail improved very much, and we were enabled 
to make satisfactory progress. We were now on the 
Mackenzie River Watershed, the small creeks flow- 
ing north-westerly and into the Athabasca. The 
height of land we had passed a little before dinner. 

We arrived at Lake la Nonne before sundown* 
and camped close to Messrs. Y. and K., the two Hud- 
son Bay gentlemen, who had only just arrived. They 
had experienced a great deal of trouble in passing 
over the last ten miles of ground, as indeed we had 



Lake la Nonne. IB 

seen ; the numerous freshly chopped windfalls we had 
passed testifying to the immense amount of road 
clearing they and their men had done for the general 
good. They were a little wroth at the idea of having 
pioneered for our benefit, and half jokingly, half 
seriously expressed the wish that we should take the 
lead next morning. "Well, gentlemen," said the 
botanist, " we started with the understanding that 
you were to go ahead, and keep ahead, and I only 
hope now [that you will be men of your word, and, 
do so still. Besides," continued he, "I thought 
you were fast travellers." Our two Hudson Bay 
friends being good-natured at bottom, took the taunt- 
ing of our botanist in good part, and invited us to 
join them at supper, which we did, not having the 
patience to wait for our own. After sundown we 
strolled along the creek and lake margin in search of 
ducks and geese, which are very numerous about 
here. 

Lake la Nonne is of small extent, and empties its- 
surplus waters into the Pembina, the most southern 
of the prairie streams tributary to the Mackenzie 
River. It abounds with excellent white fish, and the 
surrounding country is thickly wooded. The soil 
is excellent, and from the general appearance of the 
country, not only here, but between this and Ed- 
monton, we saw excellent opportunities for farming 
and stock raising. 

The experiences of to-day not having impressed 



12 Canada on the Pacific. 

us very 'favourably with regard to wheeled vehicles, 
I determined to abandon the two carts and pack our 
horses. The other party volunteering to try how 
far a cart could be taken, one of those rude Red 
River contrivances was handed over to them, with a 
request to keep the odometer register. For the in- 
formation of those who have never seen anything of 
the kind, it may be explained that the odometer, or 
trochiameter, as it is sometimes called, is an instru- 
ment attached to the wheel of a vehicle, by which 
the number of revolutions is registered — this num- 
ber, being multiplied into the circumference of the 
wheel, gives the distance travelled. — By 9 p.m. the 
camp was quiet, every one being pretty well tired 
out after the exertions of the day. 

September 6th. — The morning broke bright and 
clear, and having breakfasted, we proceeded to pack 
the six animals picked out for that purpose, and 
moved off towards the Pembina by 8 a.m. A walk 
of an hour and fifty minutes brought us to the ford, 
where we found quite a large encampment of two or 
three white men, and some dozen half-breeds and 
Indians. Messrs. Y. and K., who had started before 
us this morning, had already arrived, and intro- 
duced us to Mr. McGillivray, another Hudson's Bay 
clerk, then on his way to Fort Edmonton. He had 
left" Lesser Slave Lake some eight days before, and 
had come by boat through the lake, down the Little 
Slave River, and then up the Athabasca to Fort 



Fording the Pembina. 13* 

Assiniboine, whence, to this point, he had journeyed 
by land. He described the trail as bad, and strongly 
advised our going from Fort Assiniboine by water ; 
but, as I had already decided to proceed overland, 
he did the next best thing and secured to me the 
services of an English half-breed, named William 
Calder, and a most excellent man he afterwards 
turned out to be. 

After partaking of Mr. McGillivray's hospitality, 
and thanking him for his kindness in forwarding 
our views, we separated, and forded the Pembina 
which is not more than a hundred yards wide at 
this point. The water was not deep, only taking 
the horses up to their bellies ; but the bottom was 
of quicksand, and we needed to be cautious in pick- 
ing our steps. We got over without accident, and 
a two hours' ride over a low and rolling country 
brought us to the Paddle River, on the bank of 
which our Hudson Bay friends decided to camp. At 
William's suggestion, however, we pushed on a mile 
further, and pitched our tent in the midst of a beau- 
tiful circular prairie, surrounded on all sides by 
thick woods. The next morning we were joined by* 
the other party, and falling into Indian file, we pro- 
ceeded rapidly on our way to the Athabasca. The 
country we passed through to-day was pretty level, 
and covered with dense timber, among which poplar, 
spruce and birch of large size predominated. Some 
of the spruce trees were of great size, and several 



14 Canada on the Pacific. 

we measured had a diameter of three feet. Wild 
fruits of different kinds were very abundant, such 
as raspberries, the service berry, and wild goose- 
berry, and we occasionally dismounted to pick and 
eat them to our heart's content. The botanist was 
in his glory, and made large and valuable additions 
to his stock. In point of numbers, our combined 
party had now assumed quite formidable dimensions, 
there being nine horsemen and twenty orses. Each 
man carried a shooting iron of some kind, excepting 
the botanist, who had, instead, a dilapidated tin 
case slung across his shoulder, which at every move- 
ment of his horse made row enough to frighten 
away whatever game there was in the vicinity. 

We halted at noon to rest for an hour, as the 
weather was close and sultry, and our horses re- 
quired careful handling to enable them to perform 
the long and difficult journey to Lesser Slave Lake. 
At half-past one we pushed on again, and reached 
Deep Creek, an affluent of the Athabasca, where we 
camped for the night. The Hudson Bay party pro- 
ceeded on, intending to reach Fort Assiniboine that 
evening, if possible. 

The next morning being Sunday, we did not hurry 
in getting away from camp, as we were within four 
or five miles of the Athabasca, and did not intend 
going further than Fort Assiniboine that day. It 
was, on this account, nearly nine o'clock before we 
were fairly under weigh. A steady drizzling rain 



Reach Fort Assiniboine. 15 

was falling, and rendered travelling uncomfortable. 
In the course of two hours we reached the crossing 
place; but, owing to the late rain, the river had 
risen four feet, and we were compelled to follow 
up its banks for a mile or so, to where lay a large 
boat of the Company's, in which we crossed to the 
Fort, after driving our horses on to an island, whence 
they could easily be brought over during the after- 
noon. At two o'clock we landed at Fort Assiniboine. 




CHAPTER II. 



ASSINIBOINE TO LESSER SLAVE LAKE. 

Description of the Fort — A lazy Half-breed — The Clearwater — 
Chain of Swamps — Pack train Travelling — Rich Pasturage — 
Lesser Slave Lake — Skirting the Lake — The Traverse — Effec- 
tive Shooting — Roman Catholic Missions in the North- West — 
Climate. 



HE valley of the Athabasca at Fort Assiniboin^ 
is large, and fully equal to that of the Saskatehe- 
wanat Edmonton. The river is larger and deeper than 
that stream, and 250 yards wide, with a very strong 
current. The so-called " Fort " is a mere collection 
of ruinous old log buildings, and is now used as a 
sort of half-way house between the two important 
posts of Lesser Slave Lake and Edmonton. We 
found one solitary clerk, who, with two or three 
Indians, were the only inhabitants of the place. 
Here we had intended to make some additions to 
our scanty stock of provisions ; but the resources of 
the place being at the last ebb, nothing could be had 
"but a few pounds of excellent butter, with which 
Mr. Calder, the resident clerk, kindly furnished us. 



Fort Assiniboine. 17 

By odometer measurement, this place is about 
ninety miles from Edmonton, and two hundred and 
sixty miles from Jasper House, which is upon the 
same stream, but within the first range of the Rocky 
Mountains. Fort Assiniboine was, doubtless, in the 
good old days of the monopoly, a snug enough little 
spot ; but it has been allowed to fall into decay. It 
is very nicely situated upon a fine level terrace about 
twenty-seven feet above the river. In the rear, the 
land rises to a considerable height, and is every- 
where covered with thick forest ; but the aspect was 
bleak and desolate in the extreme, and we felt glad 
that our stay here was to be of the shortest. In the 
course of the afternoon we made a tour of inspec- 
tion, accompanied by Mr. Calder, who was heartily 
sick of the place, and intended leaving at the first 
opportunity. 

Here we got rid of Thomas, the half-breed, and, 
paying him what was due, sent him back to Edmon- 
ton. He was a good-for-nothing fellow, and no loss 
to the party. William, who replaced him, under- 
took to pilot us across the barren grounds lying 
between this place and the Lesser Slave Lake. Ac- 
cordingly, having overhauled our outfit, we prepared, 
to start next morning. 

September 9 th. — Beautiful weather, and at 9 a.m. 
we started. Messrs. Y. and K. had left the day be- 
fore by canoe, and expected to reach Lesser Slave 
Post in six days. However, the familiar French 
B 



18 Canada on the Pacific. 

proverb, "L'homme propose maisDieu dispose," was 
well exemplified in their case, as they did not reach 
their destination until some time after us, much to 
the delight of Mr. Macoun, who did not forget our 
leave-taking at Edmonton, where they had so boast- 
ingly left us to bring up the rear. 

The steep ascent from the Fort to the higher land 
tried our horses pretty well. We got up, however, 
without much trouble, and struck in a north-easterly 
direction, following a very old and indistinct Indian 
trail. The woods were very thick ; and fire having 
passed through them in occasional spots, we expe- 
rienced a good deal of difficulty in getting along. 
One or two of our refractory animals would not keep 
the trail, and, of course, came to grief the moment 
they set off on their own account. We travelled 
steadily until 4 p.m., when we reached a deep ravine, 
through which flowed the Clearwater, on its way 
towards the Athabasca. Having descended, and 
overcome the steep and soft banks on the opposite 
side, we camped, having made about fourteen miles 
over a perfectly worthless country. A good deal of 
the land we passed to-day was sandy, and supported 
the growth of a peculiar hardy pine, common in 
those regions, and known to the Hudson's Bay people 
as the cypress. 

'From the Clearwater to the Lesser Slave Lake 
occupied nine days ; but the country was so unin- 
teresting, our progress so slow, and the daily course 



Pack Train Travelling. 19 

of events so monotonous, that I shall pass over that 
interval. The intervening country bore a great re- 
semblance to that lying between the head waters of 
the Ottawa and the southern shores of Hudson's 
Bay; being hilly, swampy, and densely wooded. The 
timber is principally spruce, balsam, poplar and 
birch; and wherever the land has any tendency 
to be level, it is almost invariably swampy, and 
covered w T ith cranberries and blackberries. For 
nearly the entire distance, the trail was hardly dis- 
cernible ; our animals mired at every swamp we 
came to, and those were by no means of rare occur- 
rence, the botanist having counted twenty-seven 
separate and distinct ones during the course of one 
day's travel. We seemed during those nine days to 
have experienced all the misfortunes incidental to 
pack train travelling. One of our horses was im- 
paled on a sharp stump, and nearly bled to death ; 
another, worn out by fatigue, ultimately became a 
prey to the wolves; our provisions got materially 
damaged ; and, to crown all, the weather, which had 
been so propitious during our journey over the 
plains, seemed now bent on making us pay for former 
benefits, and enlivened us with continued storms of 
rain and wind, which occasionally alternated to sleet 
and snow. Upon the whole, we had a remarkable 
time of it, and were not sorry to catch the first 
glimpse of the Lake, which we reached on the after- 
noon of the 20th. 



20 Canada on the Pacific. 

The last four miles "before reaching the Lake were 
terribly hard upon the poor horses, the southern 
shore being for many miles a vast swamp, almost on 
a level with the water, and the soft ground sinking 
beneath us at every step. Indeed, by the time we 
got to a narrow strip of willows bordering a little 
creek, we were, one and all, glad to camp. The 
horses made up for their severe work by at once 
burying themselves up to the very necks in the tall 
and magnificent grasses which grow here in the 
greatest profusion. While putting up the tent, Arm" 
strong shot a brace of geese which came tamely 
swimming down the creek, and failing to reach them 
from the bank, coolly plunged in, and swam for 
them. 

After supper, we went to the mouth of the creek 
to choose a ford, and after an examination returned 
to camp and turned in. 

Lesser Slave Lake is a very fine sheet of water, 
lying nearly due east and west, and about seventy- 
five miles long, by from five to ten miles in breadth. 
At the eastern extremity, its surplus waters find an 
outlet by the Lesser Slave River, through which, 
after a course of thirty or forty miles, they reach 
and mingle with those of the Athabasca. We had 
struck it about the middle, and our course now was 
to follow its margin, until we readied the Fort, situ- 
ated at its western end. The waters of this lake 
teem with white fish (coregonus albus), game in. 



i 



Skirting the Lesser Slave Lake. 21 

myriads frequent its shores, and can be easily got at 
in the numerous little nooks and bays. As a rule, 
the southern shores are low and swampy, while the 
northern side is higher, and often of a rocky nature. 
It is densely wooded on either side. Along this 
lake, then, we started next morning, but first had to 
effect the crossing of the creek, which delayed us 
considerably, the horses being much averse to the 
cold water, and requiring long and patient argument 
before we could induce them to take it. 

The morning being raw and cold, it was decidedly 
unpleasant, after internally congratulating yourself 
on having got over the worst, to feel the animal be- 
neath you suddenly sink in a hole, by which opera- 
tion the waistcoat pockets were, in my case at 
least, filled with water. The creek, at , our crossing 
place, was about thirty yards wide, and each rider 
before making the attempt, drew his knees up to his 
chin, fondly hoping in this position to be enabled to 
reach the other shore comparatively dry; but on 
nearing the middle, and sinking deeper and deeper 
in the cold element, that hope was rapidly dispelled, 
and the individual temperament of each member of 
the party was pretty well shown. Ejaculations such 
as " Oh ! Gad ! " and more powerful expletives, were 
heard, uttered in an ascending scale, and comically 
plaintive tone, as the ice-cold water gradually reached 
first over the boots, then filtered into the trouser 
pockets, and higher still in the case of the most un- 



22 Canada- on the Pacific. 

lucky ones. This diverting little prelude to the 
day's work having been gone through, we dismount- 
ed, and emptying our boots and ridding ourselves of 
the surplus water, resumed our way on foot, for the 
double reason of restoring the circulation and sparing 
our animals. The trail, when visible, which it very 
seldom was, sometimes led through the heavy "blue 
joint," and again through the woods, but always kept 
within a short distance of the shore. 

At four in the afternoon we arrived at another 
creek, or rather river, as this was a large body of 
water, flowing with great rapidity, and requiring 
great care in fording it. After some delay, we 
managed to get to the other side, but not before the 
current had carried away an unfortunate but obsti- 
nate equine. The brute, regardless of yells, curses, 
and other arguments, marched deliberately into the 
worst place, and was, of course, whipt off his feet in 
the twinkling of an eye, and thrown bodily into the 
top of a large spruce which had been blown down, 
and now obstructed the river some few yards below. 
Reaching the unlucky animal, after some trouble, 
we succeeded in extricating him from his unfortunate 
position, and immediately turned our attention to 
camping for the night. After supper, much time 
was occupied in drying our wet packs and bedding, 
and it was not until ten that we were in a position 
to retire to our beds. 

September 12th. — On calling the camp this morning, 



The Traverse. 23 

I was surprised to see the ground covered with snow, 
and on looking at the thermometer, found the mer- 
cury at 31°. At eight o'clock we moved on, and in 
another hour were ploughing laboriously along the 
swampy margin of the lake. The soft ground was 
succeeded by occasional stretches of beach, covered 
with large round boulders, which, being coated with 
a thin film of ice, caused our poor unshod animals 
to slip at every step, and tried them very much. 
At three o'clock our progress was arrested by an- 
other good-sized creek, which we had to ford, and 
where the horses, losing bottom for a few yards, 
were obliged to swim. We camped at the other 
side. The next morning, a mile beyond camp, we 
encountered the third and last river, which we found 
impossible to cross in the usual manner ; and after 
following it up for a considerable way, were com- 
pelled to cut down some dry spruce, and construct a 
raft, upon which, after driving over the horses, we 
conveyed our baggage and provisions. 

This operation occasioned the loss of the forenoon, 
and after a six-mile ride through the most luxuriant 
blue-joint grass, we reached the "Traverse," just 
below Lesser Slave Lake Post, where we camped, 
and fired several shots, hoping that the reports might 
be heard at the Post, which, hidden from our view 
by a projecting point of land, lay about a mile and a 
half to the north-west; but we only succeeded in 
attracting the attention of two Indians who were 



24 Canada on the Pacific. 

limiting feathered game in the adjoining marshes. 
Those fellows were dressed in the unmistakable 
Hudson's Bay capdt, and were each armed with an 
old flint gun, with which they rather astonished our 
botanist. A flock of grey geese happening to pass a 
short distance, Mr. Mac. jokingly pointed to them, 
and, by signs, signified his desire to see them shoot. 
The two aborigines, motioning to us to keep quiet, 
immediately began to imitate the cackling of geese, 
and looking up, we saw the flock swerve slightly in 
their course and turn in our direction. When within 
shooting distance, although to our unpractised eyes 
they were yet too far, bang, bang went the guns, 
and a couple of plump geese fell into the grass be- 
side us. These were a welcome addition to our 
larder, and proved a wholesome and palatable change 
from pemmican. A plug of tobacco a-piece in pay- 
ment was received by the Indians with evident 
marks of pleasure, and they good-naturedly set to 
work to assist in collecting firewood and doing other 
little " chores " of the camp. 

While we were sitting round the fire enjoying 
supper, one of the Indians, suddenly starting up, and 
pointing lakeward, exclaimed " sheman," and sure 
enough there were our two ci-devant fellow-travellers, 
the H. B. clerks, paddling up as hard as they could 
in the direction of the Post. We hailed them, and 
found they had been detained by hard winds and 
bad weather. They promised to send over a boat 



Rich Pasturage. 25 

In the morning, so that we might put all our impe- 
dimenta across in one trip, and bidding us good night, 
passed on. 

The following day we crossed over, leaving our 
horses to rest and feed at their leisure in the luxu- 
riant pasture. The marshes in the vicinity of the 
Lesser Slave Lake Post are justly celebrated for the 
rich and unlimited quantities of wild grass, which 
grows in many places to a height of six feet, and is 
capable of affording feed for thousands of horses and 
cattle. The horses belonging to the establishment 
here always winter out, and in the spring are in- 
variably found to be in the very best condition. 

The post is situated on the north side of the lake, 
about forty feet above the lake level, which is some- 
thing like 1,800 feet above that of the sea. It con- 
sists of some half-dozen ruinous old log houses, and 
is built in the form of a quadrangle. The Hudson 
Bay Company keeps here a resident clerk and some 
half-dozen men, who are generally either Indians or 
half-breeds. A small enclosure, containing a potato 
patch and some few turnips, beets, and carrots, was all 
we saw in the way of cultivating the soil, which is of 
excellent quality. The residents of the place depend 
upon the lake for fish (coregonus albus), and rely 
chiefly upon game for their staple supply of food, a 
small and inadequate quantity of flour and groceries 
being annually imported from Edmonton, with the 
goods required for the Indian trade. This is gra- 



26 Canada on the Pacific. 

dually becoming less profitable every year, owing to 
the increased rate of mortality among the Indians, 
arising in some cases from actual starvation and the 
ravages of disease. The Indians of this localitv, and 
indeed also those inhabiting the Peace River country, 
are quiet and inoffensive, and the white man may 
travel through their midst with perfect safety. In 
character and mode of living, they are totally unlike 
their brethren of the plains, who are occasionally of 
an aggressive disposition, and, as in the case of the 
Crees, treacherous, thievish, and confirmed liars. 

The Roman Catholic missionaries have here a 
representative, a Mr. Remon, who, like his confreres, 
has sacrificed the advantages of civilized society to 
devote himself to the conversion of the Indians. This 
gentleman has built for himself a log shanty, which 
answers the double purpose of chapel and dwelling- 
house, and also serves as a school for the few native 
children at the place. He invited us to tea, and 
served us up a plentiful repast of third quality pem- 
mican and tea, without the concomitants of sugar 
and cream. Indeed, from what the old gentleman 
remarked, I fear his superiors at Lac la Biche were 
a little remiss in supplying him with the actual ne- 
cessaries of life, as his stock of provisions was ex- 
hausted. He told me he had not tasted flour for six 
months, so I, in return, asked him to our camp, where 
we treated him to the unusual luxury of fresh breads 
He was very communicative, and gave me a letter of 



Roman Catholic Missions. 27 

introduction to his confrere of Dunvegan, Monsieur 
Tissier. The society which furnishes the North-West 
Territory of Canada with missionaries of the Roman 
Catholic persuasion is an extraordinary one, and 
deserves, en passant, a tribute of respect and admi- 
ration for the self-sacrificing zeal, self-denial, and 
pluck with which each and every member, from 
their bishops down to the humblest lay brothers, 
prosecute the work of Christianization. They are 
bound by a vow of poverty, and they certainly carry 
it out to perfection, for they possess nothing but the 
clothes they actually stand in, whatever revenue 
they accumulate going to the Church and the main- 
tenance of mission stations, the principal of which 
are at Lake St. Albert and Lac la Biche. The Mac- 
kenzie River and Isle h la Crosse districts possess the 
largest and most important of the Nor'- West stations, 
which are also the head-quarters of several bishops. 
Although the vegetation in the vicinity of Lesser 
Slave Lake appears to suffer from the occurrence of 
early frosts, still, the belief of competent judges is 
that cereals could be successfully raised. At Lac la 
Biche, in about the same latitude, wheat culture has 
always been a success, and the Roman Catholic mis- 
sion there annually supplies its outlying posts with 
that staple. The level country lying between Lesser 
Slave Lake and Lac la Biche supports a thick growth 
of timber, principally spruce and poplar, and the 
prevalence of " muskegs," or surface swamps, may 



28 



Canada on the Pacific. 



account to a great extent for the summer frosts. Be 
this asi t may, the country bordering on the North 
Saskatchewan, and also a portion of that adjacent 
to Manitoba, appears, from all accounts, to suffer 
fully as much from that drawback as this more 
northern region, which, therefore, must not be. 
deemed, by reason of its higher latitude, unfitted 
to support a large population of emigrants. Indeed, 
the immense tract of country lying between Fort a 
la Corne and Lac la Biche seems to me to offer 
greater advantages for settlement than the open 
prairie situated to the south of the North Saskat- 
chewan, where the cold is quite as severe as it is a 
couple or three degrees further North. The conti- 
nuous belt of forest which forms the boundary of 
this northern section protects it in a great measure 
from the cold north winds which sweep the ocean 
of prairies situated to the south with irresistible 
violence, and render winter travelling dangerous 
and difficult in the extreme. 





CHAPTER III. 

LESSER SLAVE LAKE TO DUNVEGAN. 

A Delightful Country— The Grand Muskeg — Half-way to Peace 
River — Back into the Prairies — A Rude Awakening — Prairie 
Fire — A Cache— -The Great Peace River Valley — Noble Land- 
scape — A Grateful Surprise — Dunvegan. 

N the 29th of September, having changed our 
Edmonton horses for a similar number of 
fresh animals, we took our departure from Lesser 
Slave Lake, our friends of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany having preceded us by a couple of days. Mr. 
Mac. and the two men started one day ahead, while 
I remained behind, intending to overtake them at 
their second camp. 

Bidding good-bye to Mr. Remon and Mrs. Mc- 
Gillivray, the wife of the gentleman we met at the 
Pembina River, who had treated us with the greatest 
kindness, I started early on the morning of the 28th, 
accompanied by an Indian lad. Our destination was 
now the Peace River, which we intended to touch 
at a point some sixty miles below Dunvegan, a post 



30 Canada on the Pacific. 

of the Hudson's Bay Company. Skirting the north- 
western shore of the lake for several miles, we as- 
cended a wooded ridge some three hundred feet 
above the level of the lake, and struck westward. 

The trail being good, and the weather beautiful, 
we trotted along gaily, our horses' hoofs ringing 
upon the slightly frozen ground. The yellow leaves 
of the aspen and poplars strewed the path to a depth 
of several inches, and the aspect of the naked trees 
reminded me of the lateness of the season, and the 
necessity for speedy travel if we desired to pass 
through the Rocky Mountain range before winter 
set in. We travelled on through a very pretty 
country — now through woods, now over open grades, 
crossing an occasional tiny creek, and sometimes 
encountering a bit of swamp, which brought to my 
recollection our wretched trip from Fort Assiniboine ; 
but we had evidently made a change for the better. 
We were passing over splendid soil, a rich light loam 
being its usual characteristic, and the timber of good 
size — truly, a delightful country to settle in. About 
two in the afternoon we reached the Grand Muskeg, 
the bugbear of this piece of road ; but dismounting, 
and leading our horses over the hardest spots we 
could pick out, we made the firm ground on the 
other side without any trouble, and at six in the 
evening saw with pleasure the glimmering of the 
camp fire, which had just been lighted. 

I calculated that we were now about half-way to 






A Delightful Country. 31 

tlie Peace River, having made about thirty- two miles 
from Lesser Slave Lake. My three fellow-travellers 
had got along without any difficulty, and had crossed 
the Grand Muskeg without being obliged to lighten 
the packs. The next morning we were all in motion 
at an early hour, and travelling in a north-westerly 
direction until eleven o'clock, we halted by a small 
creek, where we lighted a fire and rested for a time. 
The day was very fine, the thermometer standing at 
seventy-five degrees in the shade, while a warm 
southerly wind made the atmosphere quite oppres- 
sive ; and after eating a hearty meal of pemmican 
and excellent smoked white fish, caught in the 
waters of Lesser Slave Lake, we felt more inclined 
to stretch ourselves on the grass and enjoy a long 
siesta than to resume our journey ; but, as the bota- 
nist remarked, we were like that mysterious person- 
age, the " Wandering Jew," and were condemned to 
go on. 

A mile from our dinner camp we emerged from 
the woods, and entered upon a strip of prairie the 
surface of which was perfectly uniform, and almost 
a dead level, but with a slight downward tendency 
in a north-west direction. On our left, the creek 
beside which we had dined meandered alternately 
through woods and meadows on its way to join the 
Heart River, which we forded some eight or ten 
miles further on, and camped upon its banks. Since 
the forenoon the appearance of the country had un- 



32 Canada on the Pacific. 

dergone a remarkable change. Then our way lay 
through a dense forest of spruce and poplar, with oc- 
casionally some very fine larch in the swamps ; but 
now we seemed to be getting back into the prairies, 
and the landscape had much the appearance of the 
country between the second and third crossings of 
the White Mud River in Manitoba. The distance 
made good to-day we estimated at twenty -five miles. 

30th September. — We were awakened this morn- 
ing by finding our tent had gone by the board. A 
strong westerly gale was at its height, and the tent 
pegs having been carelessly driven into the ground 
the night before, a few strong gusts sufficed to disor- 
ganize the concern, and it required a considerable 
amount of ingenuity to extricate ourselves from the 
dismantled fabric. 

At seven a.m. we were again on the march, and at 
nine o'clock had entered one of the thickest forests 
of poplars we had yet encountered. The trees, 
although of small size, grew so thickly together that 
any deviation from the beaten trail rendered advance 
impossible. Several times during the forenoon some 
of our most unruly pack animals branched off on 
their own account, and as often did they occasion 
us much trouble and delay in extricating them from 
the trees between which they got wedged, and where 
they, in one or two instances, tore away their packs. 
Towards eleven o'clock the weather, which had been 
threatening rain, cleared up, and we halted for dinner 



Prairie Fire. 33 

in a little open prairie. In lighting our fire, the 
grass, which was dry as tinder, caught, and in spite 
of our greatest efforts spread in a most alarming 
manner, and with almost inconceivable rapidity, but 
fortunately in the direction whence we had come. 

By William's calculation, we were now within a 
very few miles of the Peace River ; and the fact that 
the creeks were now flowing through deep gullies, 
showed us that we were approaching their outlets. 
Mr. Mac. and I, therefore, after hastily swallowing 
some hot tea, saddled up again and trotted on, leaving 
William and Armstrong to bring up the rear. The 
trail being well defined, we had no difficulty in find- 
ing our way through the woods, which were 
now of much heavier growth than those we had 
passed through in the forenoon. A short distance 
from our dinner place we came upon a quantity of 
moose meat, hung up out of the reach of the wolves, 
and killed, as we afterwards found, by an Indian who, 
upon our arrival at Slave Lake, had been sent to 
Dunvegan to acquaint Mr. Bourassa, the Hudson 
Bay agent there, with the circumstance of our being 
on the way. This cache had been made use of by 
our Hudson Bay friends, and, from appearances, they 
had helped themselves pretty largely. There still, 
however, remained sufficient for our use, and we pro- 
ceeded to cut off and lay aside a choice piece for the 
men to take up when they passed. 

Keeping on in a westerly direction, we crossed 
c 



34 Canada on the Pacific. 

one or two fine creeks flowing through deep gullies, 
and finally emerging from the thick woods into the 
open, we found ourselves upon the edge of a precipi- 
tous and grassy valley, at the bottom of which, and at 
a depth of fully six hundred feet, flowed the Heart 
Kiver. Continuing along the plateau for a mile or 
so, another immense chasm opened out from the 
south, revealing another moderate-sized river, which 
joined the Heart immediately beneath us. 

Quickening our pace to a hand-gallop, and lost 
in admiration of the landscape and the sudden trans- 
formation of the scene, we at length came to a dead 
stop on the brink of the Great Peace River Valley 
which now barred our progress westward. We had 
at length reached the long-looked-for goal of our 
hopes, and resting our nags for a little, we feasted 
our eyes on the glorious landscape now mapped out 
before us. Throwing the reins over our horses' necks, 
we let them feed for a few minutes, while awaiting 
the arrival of the others, who, with the pack ani- 
mals, were still a mile or so behind. A strong wes- 
terly gale was blowing, but the air was so warm and 
balmy, that to recline on the beautiful grassy 
sward, full face to the blast, was positively delicious. 

For several miles to the south-west, the noble 
river, flowing 800 feet beneath us, on its silent course 
to the Arctic Ocean, could be distinctly traced as it 
meandered through its mighty valley. Several 
large and wooded islands dotted its surface here and 



A Noble Landscape. 35 

there, causing eddies and whirlpools, which in their 
turn made long and faint streaks of foam, barely 
visible in the distance. With the exception of these 
disturbing causes, the bosom of the mighty river 
was perfectly unruffled, and at our high altitude 
failed to convey an idea of the great velocity with 
which it flowed. 

About a couple of miles to the south, the Smoky 
River, a very large tributary, mingles its waters with 
those of the Peace River. From our position, and 
embracing an angle of fully ISO degrees, or, in other 
words, from the North-west round to South, a bound- 
less and nearly level expanse of country could be 
taken in at a glance, the only breaks being the great 
valleys of the Peace and Smoky Rivers, than which 
nothing we had ever seen could be more beautiful, 
the former especially, in its magnitude and depth, 
surpassing all we had anticipated. The width of 
the valley at this point cannot be less than two and 
a-half miles ; and the banks, covered with verdure, 
and showing occasionally clumps of wood, slope 
downwards to the water edge in varied yet ever 
graceful form. 

The arrival of the pack animals disturbed us in 
the silent contemplation of this wonderful scene ; 
and the business of descending the steep slopes put 
a stop to any further reveries on the wonders of old 
mother Nature. In Indian file we followed the zig- 
-zag trail, carefully leading our horses, and very 



36 Canada on the Pacific. 

speedily reached the lower terrace, after a descent 
which was accomplished by the horses in a half- 
sliding fashion, the sagacious brutes being wonder- 
fully sure-footed, and exhibiting great 'cuteness in 
picking out the easiest and safest places. 

Reaching the bed of the Heart River, we forded 
it with ease, and, a little further on, came upon the 
smouldering remains of a camp fire, close to which 
we found a note from our Hudson Bay friends, ad- 
vising us of the correct state of their health, and 
that they had crossed — or rather were going to 
cross — the day before, at one p.m. Seeing no signs 
of their presence on the other side, we concluded 
they had done so in safety, and immediately set 
about the same operation ourselves ; but, first, we 
had to find the canoe which usually served the pur- 
pose of ferry-boat. To our disgust and annoyance, 
after vainly examining the shore, we descried the 
much-coveted craft high and dry on the opposite 
bank. Bewailing our fate, we were about to con- 
struct a raft, when the report of a gun reached us, 
and a minute or so afterwards we saw, to our great 
surprise, a large boat under sail coming rapidly down 
the river. Upon our answering their signal, she 
altered her course, and headed right for us. She 
proved to be one of the Hudson Bay boats, belong- 
ing to Dunvegan, and had been sent to meet Messrs* 
Y. and K. This craft was manned by a motley crew 
of Indians and half-breeds, who understood nothing 



A Surprise. 37 

"but French and Indian. They proved, however, to 
be a jolly set of fellows, and very willingly helped 
us to embark our baggage and provisions, which I 
now resolved to send up by this excellent and un- 
looked-for opportunity. The Indian who had been 
sent from Slave Lake was also on board, on his re- 
turn thither, and I immediately arranged with him 
to take back the horses, reserving two for my own 
and William's use, as we determined on riding to 
Dunvegan, while the botanist, the miner, and the 
baggage were to go up in the boat. 

Having by this time collected all our materiel, we 
crossed to the north side, and sent back two men in 
the canoe to pick out and drive over the animals we 
were to ride on the morrow. They had considerable 
trouble in separating them from the rest, the cun- 
ning brutes fully understanding the manoeuvre in- 
tended; and it was only after much yelling and 
shouting that the men managed to get them into 
the water. When finally in, however, they swam 
for the other shore (550 yards distant), the men in 
the canoe encouraging them with yells and occa- 
sional taps from the paddles, while on the receding 
bank their equine friends regarded the proceeding 
with evident discomposure, and finally gave them a 
parting neigh, doubtless intended as a farewell. 
Immediately on landing, the animals were seized 
and mounted, barebacked and dripping as they 
vemerged from their bath, and were at once treated 



S8 Canada on the Pacific. 

to a hard gallop up and down the beach, to restore 
circulation ; then a slight rub down, and they were 
busily engaged on the fine pasture in the midst of 
which we had pitched our tent. 

By sundown the wind had lulled completely, and 
the sky was one glittering mass of stars ; but the 
mercury was sinking rapidly, and by nine p.m. the 
thermometer stood at 29 ° Fahrenheit. The boat- 
men, however, were adepts at fire building, and had 
chopped enough wood to last an ordinary town 
household for a month ; and we felt decidedly com- 
fortable when, after supper, we sat or stretched 
around the huge fire, and listened to the Indians as 
they discussed matters in general, and our business 
in particular, and wondered what the deuce we could 
be after. Had we been Hudson Bay men, their 
wonder would have been at an end ; but how two 
strangers should travel through the country with- 
out any apparent object, they could not under- 
stand. 

The account they gave us of the state of affairs 
at Dunvegan was not very cheering. The New 
Caledonia boat had left three weeks before, and men 
willing to undertake the journey through the Rocky 
Mountains at this late season would be difficult to 
get. Having, however, had some experience of the 
mode of travel in the Indian country, and knowing 
how the class of men I had to deal with were given 
to over-estimate difficulties of the kind, I put no 



Start for Dunvegan. 39 

more questions, and dismissed the subject from my 
mind. 

The morning of the 1st October dawned bright 
and cold, there being a sharp frost; but the sun 
gradually warmed up the atmosphere, and the day 
turned out beautiful. Breakfasting early, the boat, 
with its mixed freight, pushed off, and William and 
I saddled up, and providing ourselves with sufficient 
for dinner, mounted our ponies ; and after winding 
up and down the slopes, now gaining the level of 
some fine terrace, now descending the banks of some 
tiny rivulet, finally gained the level of the country 
above, a height of eight hundred feet or thereabouts 
above the river. 

The ascent had occupied nearly two hours ; and 
as our direction had always been up stream, we 
found, on sweeping the horizon with the glass from 
our now exalted position, that the Smoky River was 
two or three miles below us. After a halt of five or 
ten minutes, we pushed on westwards over a prairie 
as level as those of Minnesota, and stopped for dinner 
on the edge of a lake. Two hours' rest, and we 
were again in the saddle. The uniformity in level 
had now slightly changed, but for the better, as the 
monotony of the prairie was broken by clumps or 
bluffs of timber, and the ground had changed from 
a dead level to an undulating roll, much more pleas- 
ing to the eye. 



iO Canada on the Pacific. 

At five p.m. we rested at a small creek, and again 
setting off, and travelling for several hours in the 
dark, we descended the beautiful slopes immediately 
behind Dunvegan, and reached the Fort at nine 
p.m., having ridden about sixty miles since morning. 
Here we found Messrs. Y. and K., who had arrived 
four hours ahead of us. They informed me that, 
owing to the want of men and the lateness of the 
season, they had determined to return, or at least to 
cease the prosecution of the voyage westwards. 
They urged upon me the advisability of doing like- 
wise, or of, at any rate, waiting until the winter set 
in, so that I might continue the journey on the ice ; 
but I determined to go on, and, if absolutely neces- 
sary, to await the setting fast of the rivers either at 
Fort St. John or the Rocky Mountain Portage. 

In the meantime, Mr. Bourassa had made prepa- 
rations for supper, and very soon a smoking dish of 
moose steaks, flanked by a platter of very diminu- 
tive potatoes, was introduced, and ample justice was 
done to the repast by both William and myself. The 
absence of bread did not surprise me, as I knew that 
the Company only allow 100 lbs. of flour yearly to 
each clerk in this district, the freight upon even 
such a small quantity — coming, as it does, from 
Red River, vid the roundabout Athabasca route — 
amounting to no inconsiderable item. 




CHAPTER IV. 

DUNVEGAN TO FORT ST. JOHN. 

Farming Facilities — Minerals — Rare Field for the Geologist — The 
Grande Prairie — A Grizzly — More Sociable than Pleasant — Pine 
River — Burnt District — Indian Encampment — Route over the 
Rocky Mountains — Obstinacy of Indian Guides. 

WING to the fact that the Company's agents are 
^^ liable to be suddenly removed from one post to 
another, those people are, not unnaturally, averse to 
the expenditure of the time and labour necessary 
for farming experiments ; hence the absence of farm 
produce at these posts. But the natural advantages 
of excellent soil of unlimited extent, and the pro- 
verbially early disappearance of the snow in spring, 
would lead one to the belief that good crops of bar- 
ley, potatoes, and fall wheat might be successfully 
raised in this part of the North- West. 

Dunvegan, otherwise styled by the French "Fort 
de la Grande Prairie," owing to its proximity to the 
immense plain region lying some thirty miles to the 
south, and stretching from the Smoky River to the 



42 Canada on the Pacific. 

very slopes of the Kocky Mountains, is nicely situ- 
ated upon a level terrace overhanging the silent 
waters of the Peace. Behind it, the ground rises to 
a height of seven hundred feet, and is chiefly of a 
prairie character. The Fort, a mere assemblage of 
some half-dozen log houses, is estimated to be one 
thousand feet above sea level; hence, the general 
elevation of the surrounding country is one thousand 
seven hundred feet, which is much the same as that 
of Lesser Slave Lake. The same elevation holds 
good on the south side, which is partially covered 
with a scattered growth of poplar and spruce trees. 

The efflorescence of sulphate of soda is occasionally 
remarked along the slopes of the valley in the vici- 
nity of Dun vegan, and cannel coal occurs within a 
dozen miles of the Fort, but on the south side. 
From the Eocky Mountain Portage to the Smoky 
River, a distance of probably two hundred and fifty 
miles, the Peace River, after taking a leap of two 
hundred and forty feet through the last and most 
eastern of the Rocky Mountain ranges, has cut its 
way through thick strata of clay and sandstone to a 
depth of seven hundred and eight hundred feet, 
where it flows over an almost horizontal stratum of 
limestone, which stretches northward as far as Lake 
Athabasca, where the primitive system meets the 
Silurian. The sections laid open to view by this 
river and its numerous tributaries offer an inviting 
field to the geologist, who might not find it difficult 



Departure for Fort St. John. 43. 

to show that the Peace River did, at some distant 
period, end its career at the spot where now it enters 
the plains, or, in other words, at the Rocky Mountain 
Portage, then a sea-washed rock, from which the 
waters gradually retiring, left it free to cut its way 
through the soft sea sands and detritus which form 
the comparatively level country over which the 
Beaver and other Indians now hunt. 

On the 6th of October, Mr. K. left by boat for 
Fort Chipewayan, his fellow-traveller having pre- 
viously set out on his return to Edmonton ; and now 
having the coast clear, I arranged to proceed to Fort 
St. John with eight horses. I accordingly hired the 
services of a half-breed hunter, also an Indian lad to 
act as guide ; and, accompanied by Armstrong, the 
miner, with whom I had already dissolved all con- 
nection, our party crossed the river, and started on 
our way for Fort St. John. At any other season 
of the year, the river route would have been easier 
and less expensive; but as my object was to see as 
much of the country as possible, I chose the former 
route, which, however (in order to avoid the rough 
and thickly-wooded country bordering on the Peace), 
promised to be a long and circuitous one. 

Having swum our horses across, we ascended 
the banks on the southern side, and passing through 
several miles of rather open woods, we entered upon 
a rich and open country, and camped for the night 
about eight miles south-west of Dunvegan. The 



44 Canada on the Pacific. 

afternoon, although bright and clear, was cold enough 
to render a fire enjoyable ; and our camp, thanks to 
our long-acquired experience in such matters, and 
under the influence of a cheerful blaze, soon assumed 
a very comfortable appearance. 

A slight eminence in the vicinity enabled us to 
obtain a very fair view of the country to the south- 
west, which maintained its open character for many 
miles, until bounded by a rather high ridge of 
wooded hills lying nearly east and west, and on the 
other side of which was situated the " Grande 
Prairie." We observed that, curiously enough, the 
vegetation upon those uplands did not appear to 
have suffered so much from the effects of frost, this 
being probably due to the fact of the air in these 
upper regions being constantly in motion, while in 
the deep and capacious valley of the river the winds 
have often no effect. 

The following morning, after breakfast, Mr. Macoun 
and I started off on foot, and in advance of the 
horses. We followed a well-defined Indian trail, 
which led us over the most charming country we 
had yet seen, passing sometimes through small pop- 
lars, but chiefly over an open rolling prairie land of 
the most excellent kind. We crossed numerous 
little creeks flowing northerly towards the deep 
couUe, which lay on our right, and at eleven o'clock 
we came suddenly upon a deep and precipitous 
ravine, about a quarter of a mile wide, at the bottom 



An Unwelcome Visitor. 45 

of which flowed a tiny rivulet. On reaching the 
bed of this little stream, the aneroids showed a 
difference of two hundred and eighty feet. A halt 
was called here ; and while a fire was being lighted, 
we proceeded to examine the section exposed to view, 
which consisted of an immense layer of clay, sand- 
stone, slate and fossiliferous limestone. Mixed up 
with these strata we found an excellent specimen of 
coal. 

While wandering up the gloomy bed of the creek, 
a yell from the botanist startled us all, and his hur- 
ried re-appearance, minus hat and coat, with the 
information that he had seen a grizzly, started us 
off in pursuit of his bearship; but the unearthly 
howl of the botanist had evidently frightened him, 
as we could see nothing but some huge tracks 
leading up stream. A grizzly had undoubtedly 
been there, and, as Armstrong remarked, he must 
have been a "whopper/' Mr. Macoun described him 
as being as large as a good-sized ox, and as having a 
most sinister expression of countenance. 

After an hours delay here, we ascended the oppo- 
site side, and pushed on through thick woods until 
five, p.m., when we camped. After supper this even- 
ing I tested the qualities of the coal we had picked 
up at noon, and found it to burn readily, giving a 
good, clear flame, with very little ash ; the strong 
odour of real coal was emitted. We had, indeed, 
found a treasure ; and when one reflects that hun- 



46 Canada on the Pacific. 

dreds of square miles of this beautiful country in 
all probability cover immense fields of this mineral, 
the future of this oasis in the great "Nor- West" 
may be safely predicted. 

October 11th. — " Weather still holding out fine 
and clear, with cirri from westward. On the march 
at seven, a.m., still travelling through the woods, and 
over a level country. Halted at noon as usuaL" 
Such were the jottings in the diary of this forenoon's 
march. We were not a mile from our last stopping- 
place when the barking of Indians' dogs caught our 
attention, and presently through the woods appeared, 
in single file, a family of Beaver Indians, on their 
way to Dunvegan, with fresh killed moose-meat, for 
barter at the Fort. They were the dirtiest, most 
ragged, and most powerfully smelling lot it had been 
our fate to meet, but from motives of policy I deemed 
it advisable to stop, though much against our wish. 
These filthy savages were all on horseback, and the 
women bestrode their ponies en cavalier like their 
better halves. They were wonderfully polite, and 
would not hear of our going any further that day. 
So we made a virtue of necessity, and after some 
consultation camped beside good running water. 
Our friends, the Indians, also came to anchor, and 
bothered us to trade for tobacco and sundry other 
articles, such as tea and ammunition. Mr. Macoun, 
chafing at the de]ay, started off through the woods to 
look for specimens, but a slight allusion to his grizzly- 



Reach Pine River. 47 

faced acquaintance of yesterday soon brought him 
back to camp. Those Beaver Indians are remark- 
ably jealous of their wives, but are otherwise peace- 
ably inclined, and passably honest. 

The next morning we parted from our dusky 
friends and resumed our interrupted journey, which 
we continued until the 16th October, when we 
reached the Pine River, the largest tributary of the 
Peace from the Rocky Mountain Portage to the 
Smoky River. 

The whole country passed over during those few 
days was varied in appearance, the trail passing 
through woods and prairie, principally the former, 
and for the last two days through a rough country 
covered with very dense forest. A good many large 
creeks were crossed, and they invariably flowed 
through deep depressions cut out by themselves, to 
a depth of three and four hundred feet, where we 
crossed them. Some very beautiful prairie land was 
also seen, but we always kept to the north of the 
" Grande Prairie/' which, unfortunately, we had not 
time to visit ; still the favourable appearance of the 
country we did pass through argued greatly in favour 
of the more southern section, about which we had 
heard so much. 

On the afternoon of the 16th, and when yet a few 
miles south of the Pine River, we crossed an enor- 
mous tract of burnt country. The timber had been 
of large growth, principally spruce, and a luxuriant 



48 Canada on the Pacific. 

crop of grass had sprung up in the place of the burnt 
underbrush. The fallen trees formed a net- work very- 
difficult to pass through, being, in some places, piled 
one on top of another to the height of six feet. For 
about a mile and a-half this brille very much re- 
tarded our progress. Finally emerging from th& 
labyrinth of fallen trees, and gaining the summit of a 
high ridge covered with green timber, along which 
the path wound, we found ourselves upon the edge 
of a deep and gloomy ravine, leading in a northern 
direction, and evidently forming the bed of a small 
tributary of the Pine River, which we came upon 
as night began to enshroud the already gloomy land- 
scape in its mantle of darkness. "While skirting the 
edge of the deep gap already mentioned, we had 
caught occasional glimpses of the little stream flow- 
ing beneath at a depth of 1,000 feet. We were 
accordingly fully prepared for the precipitous descent 
which awaited us on gaining the edge of the Pine 
River Valley. The botanist and myself were some 
little distance a-head of the horses, and had passed 
the usual path leading down to the water's edge ; so 
after waiting some time, we were not a little surprised 
to hear the voices of our men, far beneath and at the 
right of us. Not caring to retrace our steps, we plun- 
ged boldly down the precipitous banks, and rejoined 
the. others after a descent which we most certainly 
would not have attempted in broad daylight. 
On reaching the river's edge, we followed up the 



Indian Encampment. 49 

gravelled bank, and camped opposite the fires of a 
large assemblage of Indians who were on their way 
to their fall hunting grounds. The deep and rapid 
river which separated our respective camps did not, 
however, prevent these gentry from crossing in their 
canoes to find out who we were, and otherwise gra- 
tify their curiosity, and hardly was our fire " under 
way/' when we were surrounded by a crowd of 
chattering and inquisitive young braves, who were, 
otherwise, well enough behaved. Being unable to 
converse with each other to advantage, we contented 
ourselves with making arrangements for crossing in 
the morning, and retired to the enjoyment of a sound 
sleep, which we had fairly earned by our long day's 
march. 

October 17th. — Our first care this morning was 
to seek out a secluded spot where we might enjoy 
the luxury of a thorough wash, and after breakfast, 
a young Indian placing his canoe at my disposal, I 
crossed to the other side. While making the tra- 
verse, I had an opportunity to observe the physical 
features of this singular locality. The stream was 
150 yards in width, and flowed towards the Peace 
(only a mile distant) with a velocity of two or three 
miles per hour. Its deep and rugged valley could 
not be seen to advantage for any great distance up- 
wards, but I believe it preserves its great size for 
forty* or fifty miles, until it splits into several 
branches, one of which takes its source from a small 

D 



50 Canada on the Pacific. 

lake situated on the summit of the main Rocky 
Mountain Range. 

Mr. Bourassa, of Dunvegan, had drawn my atten- 
tion to the existence of this lake, and had so min- 
utely described the peculiar physical features of this 
locality that I was strongly impressed with the idea 
that a very low and practicable pass in the moun- 
tains could be found there, the more so from the fact 
that another river, very inferior to the Pine in size, 
helped to discharge the waters of the same lake down 
the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains into the 
south branch of the Peace. While at Dunvegan, I 
had fully made up my mind to endeavour to cross 
the Rocky Mountain Range by that route, and had, 
with this object in view, been furnished with a letter 
addressed to an Indian thoroughly acquainted with 
the locality. This man, I had found out last night, 
was here on the very spot, and now formed one of 
the assemblage which stood on the other bank to 
await my arrival. On landing I speedily found out 
the man I wanted, whose name was M , and show- 
ing him the letter, persuaded him to guide me at once 
to Fort St. John, some five or six miles distant. The 
horses we had hired at Dunvegan were still on the 
other side ; but Isidore, their owner, and the rest of 
the party, intended to follow me later in the day, 
and Mr. Macoun remained to superintend operations. 
A* walk of one hour and a-half brought my Indian 
guide and myself to the Fort, which is built on the 



Indian Obstinacy. 51 

edge of an extensive alluvial flat, overlooking the 
Peace River. Here I found Mr. Kennedy, the clerk 
in charge, and having expressed my wish to cross 
the mountains by the Epinette River Pass, we soon 
had engaged the services of three other Indians, who, 

with M , were to conduct me to McLeod's Lake 

by that route, while Mr. Macoun was to proceed by 
the river to the same point. But all my arrange- 
ments were soon broken through by one of my chosen 
band, a newly-married man, backing out, and his 
example being contagious decided the others to re- 
fuse, point blank, to proceed on the journey, which 
they now pronounced to be hazardous and difficult. 





CHAPTER V. 

FORT ST. JOHN TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN PORTAGE. 



Glimpse of Rocky Mountains — Portage Hill — Old Buffalo Tracks 
— Moose Steak — Mountain Terraces — A Stampede — Amateur 
Rafting — Riviere du Milieu — Hudson's Hope — Conversation 
under difficulties — Terrific Storm — Le Rapide qui ne parle pas. 



FTER vainly essaying all manner of induce- 
ments, I had finally to give up the project, 
and take the only remaining alternative, which was 
to proceed to the Rocky Mountain Portage, and take 
our chance of finding a boat or canoe with which to 
ascend the river. 

Several days being lost in getting men and horses 
for the trip, and collecting a large supply of fresh 
moose, pemmican, and other provisions, it was three 
o'clock in the afternoon of the 19th when Mr. Ken- 
nedy, William, two Indians and myself crossed the 
Peace River, with part of our baggage and seven 
horses, en route for the Rocky Mountain Portage, 
distant some fifty miles. The stream being three 
hundred yards wide, with a very strong current, the 



Glimpse of Rocky Mountains. 53 

usual difficulty and loss of time was experienced in 
getting the horses across. While the men were fit- 
ting on the packs and saddling up, I shouldered my 
rifle and gained the high ground above, after a steep 
and laborious ascent of twenty-five minutes. Th e ane- 
roids gave a difference of level amounting to eight 
hundred and sixteen feet above the water, and from 
this elevated position a most beautiful view of the 
country was obtained. Immediately beneath, and at 
my very feet, lay the little fort, the doors and win- 
dows being just discernible in the distance, while 
behind it, to the south, the high ridge of the right 
bank of the Pine River could be traced for many 
miles to the south-west. The whole country in that 
direction was one mass of dense forest, extending 
right up to the outer and most eastern range of 
the Rocky Mountains, which were distinctly visible. 
Away in the farther distance, a few snow-capped and 
isolated peaks, of the higher range, reared their ser- 
rated summits high in the clear and cloudless sky, 
and, owing to a peculiar state of the atmosphere, 
seemed to vibrate and tremble as each successive 
ray of the now rapidly declining sun impinged upon 
their snowy sides. A conspicuous mountain, of mo- 
derate height (called the Portage Hill), bore north 
107° west, allowing 25° easterly variation, and 
formed a pretty and conspicuous landmark in the 
distance. 

The appearance of Mr. Kennedy with the horses 



54 Canada on the Pacific. 

caused me to abandon the delightful prospect, and 
taking a last look at the fort and river, I saw two 
" dug-outs " (canoes) pushing off with Mr. Macoun 
and the rest of the baggage. " They have a strong 
current against them all the way to the portage/' 
said Mr. Kennedy, " and you need not look for them - 
there before three days." Mounting a nag which 
Mr. Kennedy had kindly provided for me, we broke 
into a smart canter, following a level and well-worn 
trail, which took us through alternate copses of pop- 
lars and prairie. For six miles we kept on, and 
camped in a lovely spot in the midst of some fine 
trees. While sitting round our cheerful camp fire, 
Mr. Kennedy beguiled the time with stories and in- 
teresting information bearing upon the locality. 
u Just where you got into the saddle," said he, " two 
years ago, a big buffalo bull got his death wound. 
He must have strayed far from his comrades." " But/' 
I asked, " where were his comrades ? he surely never 
swam the river." " Oh," said Kennedy, " there are 
still some stray bands away north of us, and they are 
even yet seen occasionally at Riviere Salee, quite close 
to Lake Athabasca." In fact, the old buffalo trails 
are still distinctly visible on the grassy slopes oppo- 
site the fort, and it must have been a glorious sight 
when, in the old times, numerous bands, led by some 
huge bull with shaggy mane, might have been seen 
winding down the valley sides to slake their thirst 
in the cool waters of the Peace. Alas, for the poor 



Moose Steaks and Onions. 55 

Indians ! those happy days have passed away, and 
in a few years more not a bison will be left, and their 
whitened skulls and well-marked roads will be the 
sole vestiges of a once numerous and magnificent 
species. The moose deer, also bears, black, grizzly, 
and cinnamon-coloured, are still very numerous on 
the Peace River. The day we left the fort, a huge 
brute of the grizzly kind was shot quite close to the 
house. The annual slaughter of bears of various 
kinds on the Peace River is about four hundred, 
while almost fabulous quantities of moose meat are 
annually consumed at the different posts of the Com- 
pany upon this river ; but the reckless slaughter of 
wild animals habitually indulged in by the Indians 
and half-bred Iroquois trappers of the Smoky River, 
will surely bring its own retribution ; and some years 
hence the Indians will be obliged to resort to other 
means of livelihood than the chase. 

Sunday, 20th October. — A sharp frost this morn- 
ing made us glad to huddle around the fire, but the 
day promising to be fine, we packed up and were on 
our way at an early hour, after breakfasting on 
delicious moose-steaks fried in onions, a plentiful 
supply of the latter having been kindly furnished by 
Mr. Kennedy, who has a very fine garden at Fort St. 
John, where his vegetables are equal to any that can 
be seen in the eastern markets. At 10.45, a.m., we 
came to a deep ravine, through which a small river 
from the north entered the Peace. This gully was 



56 Canada on the Pacific. 

fully 800 feet deep, and the descent and the ascent 
on the other side were very laborious. Half-a-mile 
below we could discern our two canoes paddling up 
stream, and from our great elevation their occupants 
seemed about the size of crows. Gaining the top of 
a fine level terrace, fully three miles in length, we 
put our horses to a gallop, and brought up at the 
end, where we halted for dinner. 

During the interval I photographed the river, which 
struck me as being very beautiful at this place. On 
our right, high sandstone bluffs, hidden by a super- 
ficial layer of soil, rose to a great altitude, their sum- 
mits being fully one thousand feet above the river. 
This forenoon we had a very fine view of the yet 
distant mountains, their white peaks standing out in 
bold relief against the blue sky. At 2, p.m., we 
resumed our march, the trail being none of the best, 
leading us sometimes down to the water edge, and 
again taking us to the high levels above, and some- 
times through tangled bits of underbrush, where 
both hands were constantly needed to save the face 
from the branches and projecting bushes. At dusk 
we found ourselves nine hundred feet above the 
river, and had great difficulty in getting down to 
the lower terraces, along which "we travelled in the 
dark, now and again missing the trail, and coming 
to a dead stop to look, or rather feel, for it, as the 
darkness was almost palpable. While going along 
slowly, our horses one and all took fright at a bear 



Riviere du Milieu. 57 

which we disturbed ; but as we could not see him, he 
was left to his own devices. Our progress was now 
arrested by a large and strong mountain stream, 
beside which we encamped for the night. 

Our first business the next morning was the con- 
struction of a raft, upon which, having embarked all 
our baggage and saddles, Kennedy, William and 
myself committed ourselves to the mercy of the Ri- 
viere du Milieu. The raft being made and tied 
together, we pushed off, each being furnished with a 
pole ; but before we could well realize our position, 
the fragile and badly-constructed craft was hurled 
upon a large shoal, over which we bumped into the 
deep water below, losing at the same time several of 
the pieces composing the fundamental portion of our 
handiwork. By dint of the most desperate exer- 
tions and the utmost steadiness, we at length man- 
aged to reach an eddy, and then the shore, where we 
could afford to laugh at our own awkwardness. We 
certainly had a narrow escape ! In the meantime the 
Indians, choosing a better place higher up, crossed in 
safety, having previously driven the horses into the 
water, and over to the other side. 

By the appearance of the banks, both the Peace 
River and the Riviere du Milieu were low, although 
the latter must be very strong in early summer 
comiog as it does from the eastern flanks of the moun- 
tains north of the Peace River. Its width was sixty 
yards, with an average depth of five feet : the water 



58 Canada on the Pacific. 

was much colder than that of the Peace. On riding 
up from the river to gain the higher regions above, we 
passed over some alluvial flats, which were very 
densely timbered, and we saw some magnificent rough 
bark poplars, three or four feet in diameter, and grow- 
ing to a great height. We were now twenty-two miles 
from the lower end of the Rocky Mountain Portage ; 
where we arrived on the morning of the 22nd, after 
following the northern slopes of the valley for the 
entire distance. Between the Riviere du Milieu and 
the Portage, we crossed several deep ravines, the out- 
lets of small rivers flowing into the main one. The 
trail, though rough in occasional spots, carried us over 
a very fine country, where the excellent soil and large 
tracts of fine land, facing the south, would offer great 
facilities for farming. There was, however, a scarcity 
of wood, but the southern banks and the numerous 
islands, being covered with dense timber, afford unli- 
mited quantities of that material for both fuel and 
manufacturing purposes. As we approached the foot 
of the Portage the soil became very light and sandy, 
and the cypress occurred in abundance. Sandstone 
rock began to show more frequently, and we now 
saw indications of a decided change in the formation 
of the country. 

On reaching the level and sandy terrace imme- 
diately opposite " Hudson's Hope," the euphonious 
name of the Company's establishment, we could find 
no means of communication with the opposite shore ; 



Conversation under Difficulties. 59 

but, after yelling ourselves hoarse, managed to draw 
the attention of a solitary miner, who was camped 
close to the Company's house. Carrying on a very 
trying conversation with this individual, the dis- 
tance between us being about two hundred and fifty 
yards, and a high wind blowing, we found that Char- 
lette, the man in charge, had gone down the river, 
and had taken with him the only canoe at the place, 
so that we had to give up all idea of crossing. 
There being yet no sign of the canoe with the 
botanist, we decided on proceeding over the Port- 
age, after having rested our animals, and prepared 
our frugal mid-day meal. Hailing the miner again, 
he gave us the welcome news that there were seve- 
ral canoes at the head of the Portage, besides a large 
boat, the property of a prospecting party of miners, 
who had descended the Peace from the Omenica, 
and had left their boat there. From this point they 
had gone down to the Riviere du Milieu on a raft, 
and were there at this moment building canoes, with 
which to ascend that river. In fact, the party was 
within half-a-mile of ours on the morning which 
had nearly proved disastrous to us ; but the high 
wind that then prevailed had effectually prevented 
our hearing one another. These miners, our friend 
informed us, were bound for the "Riviere aux 
Liards," where they expected to find gold in great 
and paying quantities. "Who are yeV inquired 
our miner, "and where are ye goin' ?" We replied^, 



60 Canada on the Pacific. 

41 We are tourists, on our way to McLeod's Lake." 
" Well !" he answered, " yell have to hurry up ; it's 
one hundred and sixty miles from here. Have you 
plenty grub ?" We assured him on that score, and 
his answering yell was to the effect that we would 
likely get through all right, but it would be " touch 
and go " to take the boat so far at this late season. 

Our dinner being despatched, we yelled a " good- 
bye " to our unapproachable informant, and faced 
the steep ascent up which the Portage trail led us. 
While ascending, we got an excellent view of the 
country south of Hudson's Hope. A level plateau 
immediately in rear of the Post was covered with a 
thick growth of poplars; but beyond, the rising 
ground was hidden by a dense spruce forest, in the 
midst of which nestled an outpost of the Company, 
situated on White Fish Lake, and which enjoys the 
unenviable notoriety of being greatly frequented by 
'" grizzlies." The ferocious brutes are, doubtless, 
attracted thither by the fish, which they are adepts 
at catching whenever the shoaliness of the water 
admits, and they have on several occasions devoured 
some of the Company's horses. 

Before leaving our dining camp, I was particularly 
careful to mark the indications of the aneroids, as 
upon the careful measurement of the difference in 
level between the head and foot of the Portage de- 
pended the correct estimate of the height of the 
river during its passage through the mountains, a 



Glimpse of Rocky Mountains. 61 

problem I was very desirous to solve. On reaching 
the first high level, I found we were at an elevation 
of eight hundred feet above Hudson's Hope ; but we 
continued to ascend, though very gradually, until 
abreast of the Portage Hill, when the highest part 
of the trail was reached. It was then half-past two 
o'clock, and our elevation was about eleven hundred 
feet above the water level at the lower end. The 
Portage road was passably fair, but the soil was 
sandy, supporting a growth of spruce trees and 
cypress. From this point our progress was down- 
ward, and we reached the level terraces, at the 
upper end, at half-past three in the afternoon, hav- 
ing been three hours and a-half in crossing. The 
road must be twelve or fourteen miles in length, as 
we lost no time, and trotted our horses occasionally. 
We were now fairly within the first range of the 
Rocky Mountains, which here are not to be com- 
pared, in point of elevation, with the mountains 
composing the same range at Jasper House. Several 
high and snow-clad peaks were, however, visible in 
the north-west. 

About a mile below our camp, which we pitched 
close to a ruinous old log shanty, owned (as a ticket 
nailed to the door intimated) by "Bill Crust," a 
gentleman who combined the business of fur-trading 
with the occupation of a miner, the Peace River 
made the first step in the rapid succession of leaps 
which it takes duriug its course of twenty-five miles 



62 Canada on the Pacific. 

through the last barrier which the Eocky Mountains 
interpose between it and the Arctic Ocean. It here 
narrows to about one hundred and twenty yards, 
and, dashing impetuously between two not very 
high sandstone cliffs, disappears in the gloomy depths 
of the Canon. 

Our first impulse, on arriving, was to look for the 
boat which belonged to the mining party ; and, after 
a satisfactory examination, we proceeded to make 
preparations for the night; Mr. Kennedy proposing 
to return to the other end early the following morn- 
ing, in order to meet Mr. Macoun and the rest of the 
baggage. At eight o'clock, Kennedy and I, having 
turned in, were about composing ourselves to sleep, 
wrhen the wind, which had latterly been unsteady, 
veered to the south, and blew with such terrific 
violence that we were obliged to turn out and fell 
several large pines which stood in the vicinity, and 
threatened us with destruction. The cracking of 
falling trees was heard all night, and effectually 
banished sleep. The following evening, Mr. Macoun, 
Armstrong and the Indians, with the loaded horses, 
arrived. Charlette, the man in charge of Hudson's 
Hope, also made his appearance ; and having now 
overhauled the boat, we determined to start the 
following forenoon. Having some doubts as to the 
capabilities of my Indian crew, I told Armstrong he 
might take passage with us ; but he had elected to 
*' paddle his own canoe ;" so, giving him provisions 



Distant View of Main Mange. 63 

for fifteen days, we left him to his own devices, and 
pushed off at one, p.m., on the 24th October. The 
boat being heavy, and the Indians perfectly unused 
to pulling an oar, we started with three men on the 
line, while William steered the unwieldy craft by 
the aid of a long sweep, and I took up a station in 
the bow with a pole. In this manner we made 
about six miles up stream, and camped upon the 
left bank. During the two following days we 
ascended the stream for a distance of thirty-six 
miles. The river was rather tortuous, and varied 
from a hundred and fifty to three hundred yards in 
width, and was sometimes split up into several 
channels, through which the current ran, with great 
velocity, over beds of gravel and boulders of lime- 
stone. 

The mountains, during the first day's ascent, 
hardly deserved the name, for their elevation was 
not great ; and on the left bank they were generally 
bare of timber, but covered with grass, through 
which numerous old buffalo and moose trails could 
be traced for miles. On the second day they 
increased in altitude ; and on turning a bend in the 
river, we had a distant view of the high and snowy 
peaks of the main range, which now and again were 
obscured by heavy masses of snow clouds. A severe 
storm was evidently going on in those high and dis- 
tant regions, and the ever-changing and fantastic 
shapes assumed by the storm-clouds were wonderful 



64 Canada on the Pacific. 

to behold, as they whirled around, and chased one 
another with marvellous rapidity. At one moment 
an immense and black mass of vapour would cover 
some towering peak, hiding it entirely from our 
sight, and the next instant would reveal the same 
mountain summit, in bold and glittering relief, bared 
to its very flanks, as if bidding defiance to the biting 
boreal blast. 

Frequently long stretches of level terraces, the silt 
of bygone ages, occurred ; but they generally ended 
abruptly at the base of some rocky and precipitous 
mountain flank, and sometimes shifted their position 
to the other side of the valley, where they met with 
similar obstructions. 

On the morning of the 27th, having made about 
forty-two miles from " Bill Crust's " house at the 
head of the Portage, we reached a short rapid, called 
by the Hudson's Bay voyageurs, " Le rapide qui > ne 
parle pas" owing to the fact of its being, in a high 
state of the water, almost smooth. Its fall could 
not have exceeded four feet ; and though the cur- 
rent was very strong, we tracked up it in twenty 
minutes. 



CHAPTEE VI. 



ROCKY MOUNTAIN PORTAGE TO STEWART'S LAKE. 



Past the Rocky Mountains — The Parsnip — Hardihood of Indian 
Voyageurs — A Mining Pioneer— Lake McLeod — First Winter 
Camp — Sagacious Dogs — Route of the Canada Pacific Railroad 
—Lake Stewart — Salmon — Fort St. James — Hudson Bay Com- 
pany and North- West Discontent. 

tT had snowed during the previous night, and 
the round boulders being covered and slip pery 
rendered tracking very laborious. We were now 
entering the highest range ; but owing to the snow 
storms, which were holding a revel high up in the 
mountains, we lost the view of the gorgeous scenery 
which extended far above us. Now and again, only, 
did we catch a glimpse of some rugged peak tower- 
ing four or five thousand feet above the eye. We 
camped about fourteen miles above the rapid ; the 
current was strong all day, but the bed of the river 
was smooth, and had little fall. At five, p.m., on the 
28th, we had cleared the Rocky Mountains, after 
passing some of the grandest and wildest scenery 
imaginable. During our passage through the highest 
E 



66 Canada on the Pacific. 

part of the range, the occurrence of level terraces 
was not so frequent as farther east, and in many- 
places the steep and rocky mountain flanks abutted 
upon the water. Yet, with the advantages of an 
easily navigable river, the construction of a road 
through this valley would not be impossible, and 
at some future time may become an accomplished 
fact. 

After passing Bernard's River, a little stream 
which empties its crystal waters into the Peace, 
just west of the highest range, we tracked on, hav- 
ing the advantage of a more uniform beach, and 
camped three miles above it, on the right bank, 
About five inches of snow covered the ground, and 
the underbush was loaded down with it, thus ren- 
dering camping very uncomfortable. The timber 
was very large in the vicinity of this camp, and had 
been so all through the heaviest part of the Rocky 
Mountain Valley. The next morning the botanist 
and I started on foot along the snow-covered beach 
for some distance ; and after two hours' tracking we 
reached the foot of the u Finlay Rapids/' which we 
surmounted by putting all hands, with the exception 
of the bowman and steersman, on the line. A pro- 
jecting reef and a steep wall of rock occasioned some 
trouble, by causing William to keep the boat out to 
the extreme length of the line; and as those on 
shore were obliged to clamber over the rocky pro- 
minence, considerable risk was run. Having gained 



Past the Rocky Mountains. 67 

the upper end, without any accident to the boat, we 
tracked and poled up past the large island which 
divides the river immediately above the rapids. 
There was here a decided change in the colour of 
the water, that of the Parsnip, or south branch of 
the Peace River, being quite clear. After getting 
fairly into the south branch, we pat ashore for din- 
ner, which w r e prepared on rocks, exhibiting talc, 
slate and iron pyrites. No mountains were visible, 
excepting to north. Where we dined the banks 
were low, and covered with a thick growth of spruce, 
poplar and birch. The Parsnip was here a hundred 
yards wide, and the current very moderate in this 
short reach ; but round the next bend we could see 
streaks of foam, an indication of swift water higher 
up. After dinner we tracked for five miles, when 
we camped among enormous poplars, four or five feet 
in diameter. 

We had now really passed through the Rocky 
Mountains, in a large and unwieldy boat, manned 
by Indians, who had never handled an oar in their 
lives before. During our passage through this pass 
we had encountered only one slight rapid, the fall of 
which could not have exceeded five feet. With this 
trifling exception, the whole river, during the seventy 
miles which take it from the western side to the 
eastern wall of the range, falls very gradually, and 
the mean descent does not, I am sure, amount to 
twenty-four inches per mile of its course. The ele- 



68 Canada on the Pacific. 

vation of the Peace Kiver being assumed to be fifteen 
hundred and ten feet at the head of the Portage, 
and sixteen hundred and fifty feet at the Finlay 
branch, the mean of those two elevations — fifteen 
hundred and eighty feet — may be taken as that of 
the Pass. It is needless to inform the reader that 
those elevations were not the results solely of baro- 
metric readings ; but repeated observations of that 
instrument, combined with the inferential evidence 
derived from their relation to other known heights, 
confirm me in the belief that, at any rate, I am not 
/ar.wrong. 

Our ascent of the Parsnip continued for the next 
four days, during which time we had a decided pre- 
ponderance of bad weather. The beaches were 
rarely free from snow, and ice could always be seen 
in spots shaded from the sun. We found the course 
of this stream extremely tortuous and rapid, while 
its bed was almost invariably of gravel— in many 
places, where we had occasion to cross and re-cross, 
being distinctly visible from one side to the other. Our 
progress was slow and laborious. Our four Indians, 
though dreadfully awkward in the use of the pole 
and oar, were quite indifferent to the ice-cold water, 
in which they often waded for hours up to their 
waists. William, the half-breed, though an active 
and powerful young fellow, could not equal them in 
that respect ; and the nonchalance with which they 
took the water, while hauling on the line, excited 



Jottings from Diary. 69 

Iris wonder and admiration, and, I may say, his 
jealousy also, for a half-breed hates to be outdone in 
matters which require those qualities so essential to 
a good Nor- West traveller, viz., endurance of cold 
and hunger, and untiring strength. 

I shall now content myself with giving an occa- 
sional extract from the diary of the voyage, and then 
take the reader to McLeod's Lake, which we reached 
on the 5th November. 

" October 30th. — Under way at seven, a.m. 
Banks low ; gravel bottom ; poplars very large on 
banks ; current two and a-half miles per hour ; ice 
along the margin ; cloudy ; rising barometer. At 
dinner place, river one hundred and twenty yards 
wide. Water clear as crystal ; very rough country 
on left hand ; mountains well back from river. 

" October 31st. — Under way at seven. Snow 
ceased ; atmosphere cloudy. Plenty of beaver and 
otter along this river ; their tracks very distinct and 
well beaten. Put ashore at half-past ten, a.m., to 
warm ourselves ; boat coated with ice, and leaking 
badly. Gloomy weather; low banks all day, and 
have been so almost since we entered the Parsnip. 
Rocky Mountains range visible now and again on 
our left. At three, p.m., while tracking up a strong 
current, William, the steersman, was knocked over- 
board by the sweep, and nearly perished. Put ashore 
immediately, to build fire and camp." 

Such were some of our daily jottings — laconic, 



70 Canada on the Pacific. 

but suggestive of the situation. The thermometer 
during all this time ranged from 30 deg. to 33 deg., 
and we were thankful it was no colder. The scenery 
all along the Parsnip was extremely monotonous, 
and by the time we reached McLeod's River we 
were heartily sick of it. Twelve miles before arriv- 
ing there, and on the 3rd November, while poling' 
up along the banks, we were surprised to see a 
regularly organized white man's dwelling, and on 
hailing it, out stalked a solitary miner, Pete Toy by 
name, who shook hands very heartily with us all, 
and expressed no little astonishment at seeing us. 
Our first question was, " Whereabouts are we ? " 
" Well," said he, " you are now about fourteen miles 
from the little river, and twenty-eight from the Fort^ 
which you ought to reach to-morrow night." Pete 
was alone, but had a mate some six miles higher up. 
They were both engaged in trapping, and expected 
to make a good haul of beaver, marten and mink. 
They had abandoned their mining operations, which 
they could not follow up during the winter season, 
and intended trading with the few scattered Indians 
who usually frequented McLeod's Fort. 

Pete was a fine specimen of the mining pioneer, 
tough as hickory, and clad in blue shirt, with his 
unmentionables tucked into his boots. His shanty 
was a pattern of neatness. This very intelligent 
man found perfect contentment in his lonely cabin, 
around which were hung the spoils of the chase, in 



A Mining Pioneer. 71 

the shape of beaver and marten skins, the latter 
much larger than those found east of the Rocky- 
Mountains, and a huge skin which only the day 
before had roamed the trackless wild on the back of 
a grizzly. Mr. Toy gave us some delicious fresh 
bread, made from British Columbia flour. We, in 
return, presented him with a chunk of pemmican, 
manufactured at Fort St. John, of which we had an 
ample supply. 

Declining his offer to make use of his cabin for 
the night, we pushed on, and camped a mile above, 
Pete promising to join us next day, as he, too, 
wished to go to the Fort. " Gentlemen," said Pete, 
as we were shoving off, " you may consider your- 
selves very lucky to have got through as well as you 
did ; but I see you are prepared for the worst," point- 
ing to the snow-shoes and other paraphernalia requi- 
site for winter travelling, with which we had taken 
the precaution to furnish ourselves. "And mark 
my words," added he, " before three days, this 'ere 
river will be running ice ; but you are all right now." 
The following evening we reached the little McLeod 
River, and were soon joined by Pete and Bill 
Southcombe, who overtook us in their " dug-out " 
of poplar. 

We had now done with the Parsnip, and had 
navigated it for a distance of seventy-five miles. Its 
fall I estimate at eighteen inches per mile, and the 
construction of a road along its banks could be easily 



72 Canada on the Pacific. 

accomplished. But it is a very crooked stream, and 
the densely-wooded wilderness through which it 
flows is, owing to its rigorous climate, ill adapted for 
farming. 

On the morning of the 5th we left our camp, and 
poled up the little river for seven miles, when we 
reached a lake, across which we pulled, and entered 
another small and shallow river, where we were 
obliged to abandon our boat, and transfer our bag- 
gage to a canoe, arriving at the outlet of McLeod's 
Lake at four, p.m., when we soon made ourselves at 
home in the Company's house. The next morning, 
with the assistance of Mr. Sinclair, the Company's 
agent, I paid off my four Beaver Indians, who had, 
indeed, behaved very well; and after settling up 
with William, another most excellent fellow, I started 
them all down to the boat, which they were to take 
back to the Rocky Mountain Portage. This they 
were unable to accomplish, being met by ice when 
half-way back ; and I was told afterwards by Cap- 
tain Butler, author of The Great Lone Land, that 
the poor fellows had to " foot it " for the rest of the 
distance, following the margin of the river, and 
having a wretched time of it as far as the Portage, 
which they reached in a very emaciated state. 
Messrs. Toy and Southcombe, after finishing their 
business, also took their departure; and the botanist 
and myself were left alone with Sinclair, who, with 
his Indian wife, were the sole residents of the place. 



Lake McLeod. 73 

It was a matter of much regret to me to find that 
there were no Indians about, as I had fully made 
up my mind to make a flying trip to the Summit 
Lake I have already alluded to, as being the source 
of one of the branches of the Pine River, as well as 
of another stream flowing down the western slopes 
of the Rocky Mountains to the south branch of the 
Peace ; but having no guide, and the season being 
too late for an open trip, and too early for a winter 
one, I was reluctantly obliged to abandon the idea. 
On the night of the Gth, McLeod's Lake was par- 
tially frozen, and winter came on in right good 
earnest, there being already five or six inches of 
snow on the ground, although not sufficient to make 
snow-shoeing agreeable. After waiting several days 
in the expectation of meeting some Indians, I finally 
determined to start for Stewart's Lake (eighty-one 
miles distant), and, arranging with Sinclair to 
accompany us, we began to make the preparations 
necessary for the trip. 

At seven, a.m., on the 9th, the thermometer marked 
9 degrees ; but the morning was beautifully clear, 
and at ten o'clock we turned our backs on Fort 
McLeod. Sinclair had provided a light sled, upon 
which our blankets and provisions were packed, 
and after harnessing four dogs to this vehicle, we 
set out on foot. Crossing the Long Lake River, we 
ascended a steep hill, and travelled steadily until 
three, p.m., when the roughness of the trail, and 



74 Canada on the Pacific. 

insufficient depth of snow, caused us to abandon the 
sled, and camp. The weather had now become very 
cold, the mercury standing at zero after sundown. 
This night we made our first winter camp of the 
season. 

Having chosen a convenient spot, with plenty of 
green spruce and a sufficient quantity of dry wood/ 
at hand, one of us cleared away the snow, while 
another cut spruce branches, and the third chopped 
dry wood in lengths of eight or ten feet. Spreading 
the spruce on the ground to a depth of six inches or 
so, we arranged the wood in front, and soon had a 
roaring fire, by which we boiled water for tea, and 
were presently in the enjoyment of a good supper 
of pemmican, bread, and scalding hot bohea. After 
supper, we all devoted a half-hour to getting an 
extra supply of wood, which was piled up close at 
hand, to replenish the fire ; and, spreading our blan- 
kets, we laid down with our feet to the blaze, and 
were soon snoring, with faces upturned to the clear 
and glittering sky. In a winter encampment, a 
covering is rarely if ever used, although sometimes 
a piece of thin sheeting cotton is spread behind, to 
break the force of the wind. 

The following morning, at six o'clock, the mercury 
stood at ten degrees below zero, and the air was 
sufficiently keen to render the heat emitted by about 
a cord of blazing logs perfectly enjoyable. While 
breakfast was being prepared by one of us, the 



Sagacious Dogs. 75 

others gathered and packed our traps in bundles, 
adapted to the carrying capabilities of each indivi- 
dual. Neither were our canine friends forgotten, 
for Sinclair prepared four diminutive loads of about 
fifteen or twenty pounds each, with which we loaded 
each dog, which followed in our tracks with the 
gravity and decorum due to the occasion. It was 
amusing to watch the sagacious brutes when, by 
any chance, one or other of us lagged behind, as we 
sometimes did. One and all would then step aside, 
and courteously give the precedence, in order to 
benefit by the better beaten track. Sometimes one, 
more lazy than the rest, would calmly sit down and 
refuse to move, unmindful of the most seductive 
whistling and other blandishments ; then a series of 
pantomimic gestures, accompanied by "bad" French, 
generally produced the desired effect. 

The trail from McLeod's Lake to Long Lake, a 
distance of twenty miles, was very rough, owing to 
the windfalls and uneven nature of the ground. 
From that point to the Muskeg River, a stream 
flowing into the Fraser, the walking improved, but 
the soil throughout was useless. All this country 
is much cut up by lakes of great beauty, the waters 
of which abound in trout, and fish of various kinds. 
Furred animals are very numerous, especially mar- 
tens ; while deer, wolverine and bears are not by 
any means wanting. 

Some seven or eight miles to the south-west of 



76 Canada on the Pacific. 

McLeod's Lake, we passed over the highest point of 
land which is encountered between Lesser Slave 
Lake and Lake Stewart, a ridge lying between 
McLeod and Long Lake, the elevation of which was 
two thousand six hundred and sixty-five feet above 
the sea level. This was perfectly distinct from the 
true watershed separating the affluents of the Peace- 
from those of the Fraser River, and which we crossed 
further on at the Muskeg River, elevated two thou- 
sand two hundred feet above the sea. The country 
immediately south-west of McLeod's Lake is very 
broken and hilly ; but I believe that, should circum- 
stances require the Canada Pacific Road to pass the 
Rocky Mountains, either by the Pine River Summit 
Lake Pass, or the Peace River Valley, the country 
between the Parsnip and Quesnel may be crossed, 
perhaps, under two thousand two hundred feet above 
the sea. 

From the height of land we had a very fine view 
of the country away to the south-west; and Sinclair 
pointed out the position of Fort St. James, which 
bore north 125 degrees west, and was, probably, as 
the crow flies, forty miles distant. The general 
appearance of the landscape was tame, and theground, 
cut up now and again by gullies, sloped gently 
towards Lake Stewart. The whole country was 
wooded, and the cypress, always indicative of 
wretched soil, predominated. Large burned tracts 
relieved the sameness of the aspect, and were easily 



Fort St James. 77 

recognized in the distance as white patches, where 
the snow had fallen, and now lay to a greater depth 
than in the green woods. A noticeable difference in 
the depth of the snow was observed as we crossed 
the watershed. North of it, its depth had been from 
six to eight inches, and had caused us much diffi- 
culty in walking; but now we had almost bare 
ground, which enabled us to push ahead with re- 
doubled ease and speed. 

At the Muskeg River we had engaged the ser- 
vices of a very intelligent Indian, to relieve us of a 
portion of our packs ; so that now, with this addi- 
tional help, and the better walking, our progress 
was much accelerated. Passing the upper part of 
the Salmon River, Dead Man's and Round Lake, we 
reached the edge of Carrier Lake, where we camped 
on the night of the 13th. The next morning we 
crossed Carrier Lake on the ice, which was perfectly 
glare, and fully nine inches thick ; and making ten 
miles, we halted at Troisieme Lac, where we pre- 
pared our dinner of partridges, shot that forenoon, 
fortunately for us, as our flour and pemmican were 
done. This, however, did not trouble us, being now 
within two and a-half hours of Stewart's Lake. 

The soil began to improve a little during the 
course of this afternoon's walk, which took us occa- 
sionally through open pieces of level prairie. At 
four, p.m., we came in sight of the lake and Fort 
St. James, lying about three hundred feet below us. 



78 Canada on the Pacific. 

Following the trail for a mile further, we reached 
the Hudson's Bay Company's establishment, where 
we were kindly welcomed by Mr. Gavin Hamilton, 
the agent. Here Mr. Macoun, my fellow-traveller, 
immediately prepared to leave for Victoria, and hav- 
ing procured for him a couple of Indian guides, to- . 
carry his bedding and provisions, we said good 
bye, and he took his departure for Quesnel on the 
17th, reaching Victoria sometime in December, in 
perfect health, and the best of spirits, as I was after- 
wards glad to learn. My journey was, however, 
only half over, as I had instructions to proceed to 
Port Essington, on the Skeena. By Mr. Hamilton's 
advice I resolved to wait here until the ice on the 
lake was firmly set, and the season sufficiently 
advanced to admit of good snow-shoeing. I accord- 
ingly took up my quarters with Mr. Hamilton, who 
was extremely kind, and promised to procure the 
men I required to take with me to the Babine Post, 
which I intended to visit on my way to the Skeena. 
At this time, that portion only of Lake Stewart in 
the immediate neighbourhood of the Fort was frozen 
over, while the central and more northern parts 
were still open. This circumstance caused the post- 
ponement of my departure until the 2nd December, 
knd afforded ample time for rest, together with the 
opportunity of carrying on meteorological observa- 
tions, by which to obtain some clue to the actual 
elevation of this interesting locality above the sea. 



Lake Stewart 79 

Lake Stewart is a very beautiful sheet of water, 
about thirty-five miles in length, with an average 
width of five miles, and is, I should think, about 
eighteen hundred feet above sea-level. Its waters, 
together with those of Lakes Trembleur and Tacla, 
both very large lakes, find their way, by the Nakosla 
or Stewart's River, to the Fraser, which they join 
at Fort George. To the north and west the lake is 
flanked by high hills, and along some portions of 
the northern side precipitous rocks rear themselves 
high up from the very water's edge; but the southern 
extremity is bordered by very low and level land, 
which continues, I am told, to the Quesnel. The 
depth of this lake is generally very great, and salmon 
annually seek its waters, in which great quantities 
are caught by the Indians. This fish, in the dried 
state, forms the staple food of the natives, and is not 
only wholesome and palatable, but extremely nou- 
rishing, and is not looked upon with disdain by 
even the fastidious whites. 

Fort St. James, the principal station of the Hud- 
son Bay Company in the northern part of British 
Columbia, is nicely situated at the southern extre- 
mity of the lake, and commands a very fine view to 
the westward. Like all the interior posts of the 
Hudson Bay Company, it is composed of a few 
rough log houses, with a small potato patch and 
vegetable garden. The store or trading shop is 
usually supplied with excellent articles of clothing, 



80 Canada on the Pacific. 

blankets, cottons, and, in fact, all the stock neces- 
sary for the prosecution of the Indian trade, which 
is here, as at every other establishment of the Com- 
pany, rapidly decreasing. 

During the last fifteen years, this once powerful 
and deservedly successful institution has been on 
the decline ; and dating from the death of its late 
energetic and far-seeing Governor, Sir George Simp- 
son, the monopoly it was said to possess, and the 
influence attributed to its officers, existed only in 
the brains of its short-sighted and jealous opponents, 
who falsely gave it credit for a power and prestige 
utterly incompatible with recent events. We have 
only to look back upon the doings of Louis Riel, and 
the base ingrates who supported him in his nefarious 
acts, who forcibly, and under a false though specious 
pretext, wrested Fort Garry from the hands of those 
who had fed and clothed them for years — -who 
turned, and, viper-like, stung the very bosoms from 
which they had drawn life and nourishment, — we 
have, I say, only to do this, and peer a little below 
the surface, to see how utterly unreasonable and 
groundless were the conclusions arrived at by those 
who, without a moment's consideration, pronounced t 
a hasty and most partial verdict. In fact, for several 
years the Hudson's Bay Company, at Red River 
and on the Saskatchewan, has been the mere play- 
thing of the half-breeds, who quickly took advan- 
tage of the false position in which the Company 



The Hudson Bay Company. 81 

found itself soon after the withdrawal of the regular 
troops from Red River. In vain did the late 
Governor McTavish sue to the gentlemen living at 
their ease in London for help — in vain did he draw 
for them a true picture of the real state of affairs. 
They treated his suggestions with unmerited con- 
tempt, and pooh-poohed what they seemed to con- 
sider the fevered ravings of an over-worked brain. 
But William McTavish saw what others did not or 
would not see ; and the parsimonious policy of a 
few who would not even hear of a paltry company 
of fifty regulars, for the protection of life and pro- 
perty at Fort Garry, aided, no doubt, by the prema- 
ture and uncalled-for interference of some Canadians, 
who thought they knew better than anybody else, 
precipitated the crisis which resulted in the lament- 
able events of 1869. No allusion is here meant to 
the one or two Canadian gentlemen then at Fort 
Garry on official business. 

Other causes might be cited for the gradual decay 
of this yet great trading Company ; but this digres- 
sion is foreign to the subject. It will, therefore, suf- 
fice to say that the introduction of liquors by petty 
traders, the infusion of new blood, which demands 
better wages and better food, and which has more 
extravagant notions than the simple yet hardy 
agents of the old school, who looked upon a chief 
factor much as a Persian water-seller regards the 
Shah, also the apathy with which some of the best 



82 Canada on the Pacific. 

officers in the service now regard the futile attempts 
to reorganize and ameliorate the present condition of 
affairs, are aids to the gnawing effects of the canker- 
worm, which is slowly but surely eating away the 
very vitals of this long established Company. But 
when this great corporation shall have wasted 
away, and when nothing but the mere fossil remains ; 
when the " gem of the North West," the beautiful 
country of the Peace River, teems with a happy and 
thriving population, rich in the possession of count- 
less flocks ; when the Peace River coal and other 
products find a market in the east, and the Canada 
Pacific Railway shall issue excursion tickets to the 
Peace River Valley at ridiculously low prices, then 
Canada may remember that the long dead company 
was the pioneer of the North West, and chiefly 
instrumental in the bloodless conquest of British 
American Indians, to whose good-will and confidence 
the Company's honest policy has paved the way. 




CHAPTER VII. 

Stewart's lake to hazelton. 



Comfortless Encampment — Trout Fishing Extraordinary — The 
City of Hog'em — Frying Pan Pass~Lake Babine — Paddling 
for Life — Little Babine and S usqua — Invited to Christmas. 



[5) UT revenons a nos moutons, and I have here 
to crave the indulgence of the generous reader, 
who has borne me company so long, and who, perhaps, 
may have the curiosity to know how I fared on 
my solitary trip through the trackless wastes of 
Northern British Columbia. Well, after seeing the 
"lions" of Fort St. James, and enjoying the hospitality 
of Mr. Gavin Hamilton; after dining in great com- 
fort with poor Judge Fitzgerald (since gone to his 
account), and his deputy, Captain Fitzstubbs, a fine, 
handsome, jovial fellow, in whose company — must I 
confess it ? — some of the saloon keepers brandy (for 
Stewart's Lake had reached that pitch of civilization, 
and actually could boast of a regularly organized 
whisky shop, where brandy-smashes, cocktails, and 



84 Canada on the Pacific. 

three card " monte " helped to ease the reckless 
miner of his hard-earned gains), found its way, in a 
temperate kind of style, down our throats, I very 
reluctantly resumed my weary tramp, which was to 
cease at whatever point on the coast I might be 
lucky enough to find the Hudson Bay Company's 
steamer, the Otter. Having secured the services of 
a Red River half-breed named Damare, and three 
others, all Indians, or " fractional parts " of that 
persuasion; having put up a good supply of bacon, 
beans, flour, tea and sugar, and being each provided 
with snow-shoes, mocassins, and plenty of blankets, I 
said farewell to Fort St. James, and took my depar- 
ture for Fort Babine on foot. It was noon when we 
left : the ice being quite glare, and the men willing, 
we made ten miles in about a couple of hours, and 
camped on the west side of the lake. On reaching 
that shore we found, to our annoyance, that the ice 
was extremely thin, and, a little further on, there 
was open water. Our camp was made on a sloping 
rock within half-a-dozen feet of the water edge, for 
we could find no better ground. Dry wood was 
scarce, and after a fire was lighted we were nearly 
smoked to death, the wind having risen, causing us 
great inconvenience and discomfort. We were now 
without a tent, but carried with us a piece of factory 
cotton, which we stuck up behind us on poles, but 
speedily hauled down again, finding it do more 
harm than good. During the night snow began to- 



'Comfortless Encampment. 85 

fall, and this melting on our blankets from the heat 
of the fire, rendered matters more uncomfortable 
still. This was truly a most wretched encampment, 
and was only the beginning of a series. While reclin- 
ing on our angular bed, we could still see the distant 
lights of the fort, and I most heartily wished myself 
back again in its snug quarters. The night was 
moderately warm, and we woke up next morning glad 
to relieve our aching bones, and anxious to get rid of 
our stiffness by good exercise, of which we soon got 
plenty, as we had no longer any ice to walk on, and 
were obliged to follow the rugged beach, sometimes 
coming to a projecting rocky point, the steep sides ot 
which we had to clamber. Sometimes, indeed, we 
had to take to the woods for short distances, and alto- 
gether we had a rough time of it. 

The lake was now entirely open, and by 4, p.m., 
we had only reached a point opposite the Indian 
village of Pinche. We camped here, and, wearied 
by the exertions of the day, soon fell asleep. 

Dec. 4th. — Tried the ice again this morning, but 
found it very weak ; progress slow, being obliged to 
proceed cautiously, sounding the ice with poles as 
we went along.. No getting to the Portage this day. 
N.W. and S.E. is the general direction of the lake. 
During the afternoon had good and sound ice for the 
xest of the day, and camped opposite Tache Village. 
Ice nine inches thick, but an Indian from the village 
ttells us that a few miles above the lake is open to 



88 Canada on the Pacific. 

the very end, so more trouble looms up for to-mor- 
row. 

December 5th. — Travelled eight miles on the ice, 
and were again met by open water; halted for 
dinner, and sent on two of the young lads to the 
Portage for a canoe. 

We left the baggage here, and the rest of us pro- 
ceeded along the margin when practicable. After 
two hours of execrable walking, during which slips 
and falls were the rule, and upright walking was the 
exception, we reached the solid ice at the upper end ; 
a short walk took us to the little river, on the banks 
of which we camped. 

I now determined to send on two men to the Ba- 
bine Lake, seven or eight miles distant, with the 
heaviest of my baggage. They were then to start 
for Fort Babine by canoe, this lake usually remain- 
ing open till the end of January, while Damare, an- 
other man, and myself, were to branch off to the 
right, towards Lac Trembleur, whence I intended to 
strike north towards Lake Tacla, and then make for 
Fort Babine by " Leon's trail." 

Having reached the first little lake in the middle 
of the portage, our party split up, two men proceed- 
ing* to the Babine end of the portage, myself and two 
others following up this little lake for three or four 
miles, when we left it and immediately took the ice 
on another. Following this one for a mile or two, we 
came upona large camp of Indians who were catching 



Trout Fishing Extraordinary. 87 

the finest trout and white fish I ever saw. They 
had thousands of them hung up on poles to dry. 
Their encampment was a perfect picture, what with 
the primitive and open lodges, the long rows of fish 
in the successive stages of desiccation, the half naked 
children sprawling about in the snow, the dogs too 
fat and lazy to move, and the numerous dug-outs or 
canoes hauled up on the beach. This lake was en- 
circled by high hills, and the portion of it which we 
had come over, was hard and fast for the winter ; 
while just here it was perfectly open and free from ice. 
We camped here for the purpose of getting one of 
those Indians to guide us to " Gus Wright's trail," 
which I was desirous of reaching by a short-cut over 
the mountains. 

The next morning we started in a canoe for the 
upper end of the lake, and resuming our snow-shoes, 
ascended the steep and rugged hills lying south-west 
of Lake Trembleur, keeping due north all the while. 
This was a very rough and disagreeable piece ot 
road, and we were not sorry to get on to the so-called 
steamboat trail. It must be remarked here that a 
stern- wheel steamer was laid up for the winter in 
Lake Trembleur. This vessel, which I did not see, 
had been brought up the Fraser, the Nakosla River, 
through Stewart's Lake, and by the connecting 
stream, to its present winter quarters. It was owned, 
I believe, by one Gus Wright, who purposed to start 
a freight business between Lake Trembleur and the 



88 Canada on the Pacific. 

Tacla Landing, whence it is only a matter of about 
fifty miles to the " City of Hog'em/' the capital, if I 
may apply such a term, of the Peace River gold 
mining regions. There are several ways by which 
these as yet embryo diggings may be reached from 
Victoria. The intending miner may, if he chooses, 
take steamer to Port Essington, six hundred miles 
up the coast, and thence ascend the Skeena to the 
infant town of Hazelton, otherwise more generally 
known as " The Forks." This implies the ascent 
(and a very difficult one it is) of this rapid, and, as 
it has proved to not a few unfortunates, fatal stream, 
for a distance of about one hundred and fifty miles. 
Leaving the treacherous waters of the Skeena, he 
may then proceed either on foot or on horseback to 
the Babine Lake, some fifty or sixty miles distant, 
crossing the lower extremity of which he keeps on 
by the same means to Tacla Landing, thirty or forty 
miles further, during which time he must cross a 
high mountain range by a pass known as that of the 
" Frying Pan." From the landing the mines are 
easily reached by a pretty fair trail. 

The Fraser River presents another route. One 
may take stage to Quesnel, thence proceed on foot or 
on horseback across a partly level country to Fort 
St. James, whence a passable trail takes one to the 
Nation River ferry, from which there is a trail to 
Germansen Creek, and the Omenica ; or instead of 
leaving the Fraser at Quesnel, the tourist may still 



The City of Hog' em. 89 

follow that river until he reaches the Giscombe Por- 
tage. This must then be crossed, and launching his 
canoe in the waters of Summit Lake, the traveller 
may descend, aided by a very gentle current, the 
waters flowing into McLeod, whence eighty-nine 
miles of good and rapid navigation will take him to 
the Finlay branch. Here he must ascend the rapid 
current of the Omenica, for seventy-five miles, when 
Germansen Creek will be reached, and if he chooses 
to visit the capital, fifty miles more of the same tor- 
tuous stream will bring him within sight of the 
spires (?) of " Hog'em." But all these routes are dif- 
ficult, involving long and fatiguing journeys on foot, 
and navigation of a dangerous nature, which the 
miner is too often ready to try in craft ill-suited to 
the occasion. Hence the numerous and painful acci- 
dents which, like those of the fall of 1871, shock the 
less adventurous residents of Victoria. But I am 
again digressing. 

We reached the steamboat trail which there skirted 
the shores of a rather large and beautiful lake, on the 
other side of which a high and conspicuous snow 
capped mountain, very clearly visible from Fort St. 
James, reared its glittering white summit high in 
the cold morning air. Our course was now about 
west, and Gus Wright had certainly picked out a 
very fair road, the country through which it lay 
being passably level ; but the walking was heavy, as 
there was too little snow for snow-shoeing, and deep 



90 Canada on the Pacific. 

drifts which we occasionally came across rendered it 
heavy work. 

We reached Lake Babine after having followed 
Gus Wright's trail for a distance of twenty miles, 
and found the bay upon which we debouched hard 
and fast : open water, hewever, lay about a mile out. 
While crossing on the ice to the open, we scanned 
the shore anxiously for a canoe, and after a long 
search discovered a leaky and worn out " dug-out," 
hauled up on a rocky point. On reaching it, we 
found that it was very badly injured, so set to work 
repairing it, and making paddles, of which there were 
none to be seen. Four of those indispensible ad- 
juncts were roughly and rapidly hewn out of a spruce 
tree, and transferring our baggage and provisions to 
this wretched apology for a canoe, we embarked, but 
found the craft so unsteady, that great care was 
necessary to prevent our upsetting. 

To make matters worse, the canoe leaked like a 
basket, and we were obliged to put ashore upon an 
island to patch her up in the best way we could. 
After some delay, we started again, intending to pad- 
dle all night in order to reach Fort Babine without 
camping ; but we were destined to have a taste of 
what this immense and deep body of water could do 
when roused to anger by a stiff Sou' Wester. The 
afternoon had been unusually dark and gloomy, and 
as the short day drew to a close, the deep waters of 
the lake assumed a sombre tint, which, deepened by 



Paddling for Life, 91 

the dark and angry-looking sky, was excessively 
depressing to the spirits. As daylight disappeared, 
the wind, which until now had been very light, began 
to rise in sudden gusts, causing a long and heavy 
swell, which now and again, as if indignant at our 
audacity, struck our frail craft, and drenched us to 
the skin with its cold spray. The now rapidly in- 
creasing gale was happily in our favour, and giving 
up all hope of going on that night, we determined 
to beach our canoe at the very first opportunity. We- 
accordingly steered for a deep sandy bay which lay a 
full mile to leeward. But in order to reach it, we had 
to weather a rocky point, which projected far into the 
seething lake, and upon which, if we had failed to 
clear it, our miserable craft would have inevitably 
been dashed into pieces. The chattering tongues of my 
Indian crew were now stilled, and the paddles struck 
the water with redoubled force, for we all felt that 
the safety of our property, nay our very lives, per- 
haps, depended upon getting past the rocky shore, 
which loomed up on our right, cold, dark, and the 
very picture of desolation. Beyond the reach of the 
waves and spray, snow to the depth of nearly a foot 
covered the surface, and helped to light up the 
gloomy picture. A few strokes of the paddle, and 
we had cleared the danger, and now headed for the 
low shingly beach, where we ran the canoe high up in 
the snow and immediately emptying her of the con- 
tents, turned her up beyond the reach of the waves. 



92 Canada on the Pacific. 

The night was now far advanced, and as we could 
not pace the beach until daylight, we with great 
reluctance set about camping, an operation which, in 
the darkness, proved not only tedious but difficult. 
The men were wearied, too, and hungry, and for the 
first time lost their equanimity of temper. The 
work, in consequence, proceeded slowly, and in sullen 
silence. To add to our difficulties, dry wood and 
brush to lie or sit on were very scarce, and another 
day had begun ere a passable fire and some hot tea 
had restored us all to our usual frame of mind. We 
then composed ourselves to sleep, and woke as the 
first grey streaks of dawn appeared on the morning 
of the 11th. 

My first care on awaking was to strike a match 
under the blankets, and steal a glance at my watch and 
barometer. The first indicated the hour of six, and 
the second 27*19 inches — a rather low reading. On 
sitting up and looking around, the prospect was any- 
thing but cheering ; during our sleep five inches of 
snow had fallen, our fire was completely out, and the 
forms of my three men, curled up under their blan- 
kets, were just visible as they lay buried beneath a 
warm covering of snow. The wind still kept up, 
while the yet angry waves beat upon the beach with 
a mournful cadence, which seemed to exert a somno- 
lent influence upon the quiet forms beside me. A 
" hallo ! " repeated many times, at last induced them 
to rise from their slumber, and, one by one, after 



Lake Babine. 93 

lazily shaking off the snow, they proceeded to start 
a fire. Under its influence, and fortified by a break- 
fast of smoking hot tea, flanked by a frying pan piled 
up with a pyramid of baked beans, from which 
peeped sundry luscious pieces of Oregon bacon, our 
energies returned, and we hastily launched and 
loaded our canoe, and pushed off for Fort Babine, 
yet distant about fifteen miles. Lake Babine is 
an immense body of water, probably eighty or ninety 
miles long, with a breadth varying from four to ten 
miles. It is extremely deep, has numerous islands, 
and is bounded, on nearly every hand, by high, rocky 
and densely wooded shores. That portion of it which 
I saw struck me as bearing a wonderful resemblance 
to Lake Temiscamingue on the Upper Ottawa. 

At noon the wind had entirely chased away the 
dark vapoury clouds which, during the last few days, 
had obscured the heavens, and by three o'clock, when 
we stepped ashore at the Company's Fort, a hard 
frost had set in, which promised to speedily bind 
down the deep waters of the lake with the icy grasp 
of winter. A group of wondering Indians were at 
the beach to receive us, and a general hand-shaking 
had to be gone through before I could venture to 
enter the cosy house of St. Pierre, the man in charge, 
who then happened to be absent at the fishery situ- 
ated near the lower end of the lake. As there was 
no one to dispense the few necessa^ articles needed 
for the rest of my journey to the Forks of Skeena, 



D4 Canada on the Pacific. 

I assumed the double duties of seller and buyer by 
taking possession of the Company's store, and com- 
menced weighing out sundry lots of flour, tea and 
sugar, not forgetting the "institution" of British 
Columbia — bacon and beans. Having duly entered 
those items with scrupulous care in the Company's 
blotter, I prepared for another stage, by sending off 
Damare and another man to the Fishery, by the ice, 
while I, with two newly hired Indians, got together 
supplies for the next stage of the journey. My new 
travelling companions were odd looking specimens 
in their way. One was an elderly individual of 
about fifty who possessed but one eye, the vacant 
socket being covered with a green patch which was 
far from improving its owner's hang-dog look. His 
mate was recommended to me by Damare, as a most 
valuable man, being a perfect master of the French 
language. So his patron said. I found afterwards 
that his knowledge of French was limited; his sole 
vocabulary consisting of the adverbs oui and non y 
which he used on every possible occasion, regardless 
of consequences. Bath he and " One-eye," however, 
belied their looks very much, proving to be active 
an$ willing, the man with the patch especially main- 
taining a uniform and agreeable temper throughout. 
With the exception of the Post at McLeod's Lake, 
I think Fort Babine is one of the most wretched 
holes I ever saw. It is situated on the north-east 
side of the lake of the same name, and is within 



A Conspicuous Landmark 95 

twenty-five miles of its northern extremity and out- 
let. West of the Fort the lake is very narrow, but 
again widens out northwards, and from this strait it 
was completely frozen over to the Indian village, 
whither Damare had gone. Right opposite, to the 
eastward, and about two miles across the bay, a trail 
takes up through a slight gap in the high hills tow- 
ards the outlet of Lake Tacla and the Nation Lakes. 
This is another way to the Omenica, but is seldom 
used by miners. A few miles behind, to the north 
east of the Fort, a high mountain forms a conspicu- 
ous landmark. The establishment consists of three 
or four log houses, and is of little importance to the 
Company. On the 13th December I left the Fort 
accompanied by " One-eye " and the " Linguist." 
We had the advantage of a beautiful day, and walked 
at a good pace over the ice and along St. John's Bay, 
towards its upper end, where, seven or eight miles 
from the Fort, the waters of another system of lakes 
join those of the Babine. 

Following a pretty little stream for a couple of 
miles we again travelled the ice on a narrow sheet of 
water, eleven miles in length, and parallel to Lake 
Babine. Two other good sized lakes belonging to 
the same chain were then followed, when we took to 
the left and made for the Babine lake again. Dur- 
ing this short stage the snow had only been nine 
inches in depth, but the temperature was low, the 
thermometer having generally stood at from 20 deg. 



96 Canada on the Pacific. 

to 25 deg. below zero. It was a fine bright Sunday 
morning when my two men and I descended to the 
Indian village known as " The Fishery." We straight- 
way made for the Company's store, then unoccupied, 
a miserable, unfinished log shanty, through the in- 
terstices and chinks of which the cold, biting frost 
penetrated, and chilled us to the bone. Damare, how- 
ever, who had arrived the day before, had already 
made the place as comfortable as possible, and a big 
fire blazed in the open chimney, while on the hearth 
sundry pots and pans contained material for a meal, 
to which we all three did justice. This fishery is 
quite close to the outlet of the lake, the waters of 
which, after following the circuitous and extremely 
rapid River Babine for a distance of sixty or seventy 
miles, empty into the Skeena above Fort Stager, the 
point to which the American Western Union Tele- 
graph Company brought the line which was to have 
connected North America with Asia. 

We remained in this place until the following 
morning, when we parted company ; Damare and his 
comrade returning to Babine Fort, while I and my 
two Babine Indians, together with a third man, 
crossed the lake (here not over two hundred yards 
wide), and commenced the ascent of a mountain 
range, lying nearly north and south, separating the 
Babine system from the waters of the Wotsonqua, a 
southern tributary of the Skeena. For seven or 
eight miles we ascended through a thick forest of 



The Susqua Valley. 97 

spruce and balsam, some of the latter of great size, 
and finally reached the summit of the pass, when 
the aneroids marked 25 in. with a temperature of 5 
deg. above zero. Three and a half hours before, 
while yet on the ice of Babine lake, the same instru- 
ments stood at 27.47 in., and thermometer at 16 deg. 
below zero. This was by far the greatest altitude I 
had yet attained, and from this elevated locality a 
most magnificent coup d'ceil of the Susqua valley 
was obtained. Immediately to the right, and dis- 
tant probably two or three miles, a high and snow- 
capped peak towered far above, while before me, 
deep down in the valley, the Susqua followed its 
westward course for fully thirty miles, until deflected 
to the north by the huge mountain mass of the 
Rocher Deboule range, which formed a bold and pic- 
turesque background. High mountains to the north 
and south hemmed in the valley of this now tiny 
stream, which, for the first few miles of its course, 
flowed quietly enough over a very gradual incline, 
but afterwards gathering fresh impetus, dashed on 
through a series of rocky canons, to join its sister 
stream, the Wotsonqua. At this great elevation, pro- 
bably four thousand feet above the sea, the snow was 
only three feet in depth, and some stunted cypresses 
were the only trees to be seen. The ground began 
to dip immediately after crossing the summit, and 
following the trail for a few miles, we descended to 
the bottom of a deep ravine, through which flowed a 
G 



98 Canada on the Pacific. 

small rivulet. The steep sides of this rocky gully 
not offering level ground sufficient for our camp, we 
made it upon the ice, after laying down a plentiful 
supply of green spruce branches. The little creek 
which could be distinctly heard as it trickled beneath 
us over its rocky bed, supplied us with good water 
for our tea, thus sparing us the tedious operation of 
producing that sine qua non from melted snow. A 
capital fire being built upon the edge of the bank, 
our camp soon assumed its usually comfortable 
appearance, despite its icy floor, which, had it given 
way, would have produced consequences both dis- 
agreeable and serious. 

After breakfast the following morning, I strolled 
down the creek to examine the source of the little 
Babine and Susqua rivers, which lay eight hundred 
feet below the summit level. Twenty minutes walk- 
ing on snow-shoes brought me to the narrow strip of 
swamp out of which issue the two streams ; the one 
making a leap eastward, of sixteen hundred feet in 
a distance of nine miles, into Lake Babine ; the other 
seeking the Wotsonqua, which lies fully thirty miles 
to the westward, and about 2,400 feet below the 
level of this one's source. The steep and towering 
mountain mass which bounded the southern side of 
the valley cast a deep gloom on every side, and the 
silence of this dark ravine was positively awful. 
Taking a hurried survey of the place, I retraced my 
steps, and was right glad to regain the now deserted 



A Rough Journey. 99 

camp fire, the Indians having started during my 
^absence. Six miles further we took the ice on the 
Susqua, and followed it for a few miles. The water 
had fallen, consequently the ice was unsupported, and 
we broke through several times. The descent of this 
mountain stream was very great, in some places the 
aneroids indicating a fall of two hundred and fifty 
feet to the mile. While walking along, one of the 
Indians fell through and was severely hurt, so we 
were obliged to camp, having made a very poor day's 
journey. 

On the 18th we left camp, fully determined to 
reach " The Forks " that night. The weather had 
now changed, and a slight fall of snow set in, totally 
obscuring the bold mountain scenery. On getting 
down a couple of thousand feet below the summit 
we found the ground almost bare, and had capital 
walking for some distance. At three in the after- 
noon the road again became rough, numerous deep 
ravines intersecting our path, necessitating painful 
and laborious ascents and descents. Some of those 
gullies were three hundred feet in depth, and great 
care was required in wending up and down their steep 
and icy sides. We often had to haul ourselves up by 
the branches, but the men stuck to it bravely, and by 
four o'clock we were within fifteen miles of Hazel- 
ton. Although night was just coming on, we made 
a fire by which to boil our tea-kettle, and at five 
o'clock renewed our journey in Indian file, my French 



100 Canada on the Pacific. 

speaking Indian taking the lead. At every resting 
place I enquired into our dead reckoning, but my 
questions usually eliciting the most ridiculous an- 
swers from the Indians, I remained in complete ignor- 
ance as to our whereabouts until we reached tha 
very edge of the plateau immediately in rear of the 
village. Midnight had just gone, when, through the 
now thickly falling snow, the Indian pointed to the 
scattered collection of log huts one hundred and 
fifty feet below, which was dignified by the name of 
Hazelton. 

In front of this silent village the Skeena could be 
distinguished by the black line of its unfrozen waters, 
down which coursed — tumbling, tossing, and grind- 
ing against each other, as if eager for precedence — 
huge, white floes of ice. With the exception of this 
narrow streak of rapid water, the entire landscape was 
white, and desolate to a degree. On our left, deep 
down in the hollow, we could see several Indian huts 
of wretched construction, partially lighted up by the 
fitful glare of their watch fires, while the dismal 
chants and " rattling " of the medicine men were 
heard, as they performed their heathenish rites over 
the departing spirit of some relative, laid low by the 
ravages of an epidemic then rife amongst them. A 
steep sideling trail had been cut down the bank, and 
we were just preparing to descend, when I, incau- 
tiously approaching too near the brink, slipped upon 
the icy ground, and reached the lower level before my 



Invited to Christmas. 101 

companions, who, immensely amused at the exploit, 
followed in a more leisurely manner. We at once 
sought out Tom Hankins' store, where, after a little 
delay, Tom himself appeared, and gave me a hearty 
welcome. " Just in time for Christmas/' said Tom ; 
and instantly called up " Charlie," the cook — a fat, 
good natured Indian of the Hyder tribe — who poked 
up the fire, and with the celerity of a city waiter, soon 
placed before me hot tea and eatables. " Just in time 
for Christmas week. Were going to have a time of 
it, and you may make up your mind to remain here 
for three weeks, until there is good going. It's no 
use/' said he, as I deprecated such a long delay ; " not 
an Indian will budge from here until the New Year, 
anyhow, so you may keep cool." To confess the 
truth I did not feel averse to spending a few days 
with such a hospitable entertainer, and, convinced of 
the soundness of his argument, I resigned myself to 
the delay consequent upon a fortnight's sojourn at 
"The Forks." After partaking of a homeopathic 
dose of hot-scotch, we separated for the night, Charlie, 
the cook, having provided me with a " shake-down" 
on the floor, where I speedily forgot all my troubles, 
and slept very soundly till seven, a.m., when I was 
awakened by the preparations for breakfast. As we 
sat down to that meal, Tom introduced his wife, a 
very nice, agreeable person, who seconded her hus- 
band's endeavours towards my comfort. 



CHAPTER VIII 



HAZELTON. 

Physical Features — The Skeena — An Indian Ranche — Romantic 
Bridge — Curious Carving — Christmas at the Diggings — Up the 
Skeena — The Wotsonqua — A "Cholera Box" — American En- 
terprise at fault — A hideous Canon — Characteristics of Miners. 



jEJ AZELTON, or " The Forks/' as it is generally 
Kjit-*- designated, owes its origin to the Hudson's 
Bay Company, which formerly, and until within 
a few years back, had a fur-trading post a mile 
or so lower down than the site of the present little 
town. About a score of log houses composed the 
village, which is situated between the forks of the 
Skeena, and its tributary the Wotsonqua. The sur- 
rounding country is essentially mountainous, and the 
scenery magnificent. Five or six miles to the south- 
east, a high range of mountains, the same alluded 
to already as that of the Rocher Deboule, stands out 
in bold relief, and from its great height (probably five 
thousand feet or thereabouts,) appears almost to 
hang over the little town. To the westward, and on 
the opposite side of the Skeena, another very high 



The Skeena. 103 

mountain, its summit probably ten miles distant, and 
bare of vegetation, bounds the view in that direction, 
and heightens the picturesque aspect of the scenery. 
All around are dense forests of spruce, poplar and 
other woods, while the low valleys are, with the ex- 
ception of some level terraces along the river banks, 
rough and much broken up. The Skeena at this 
village is probably one hundred and fifty yards wide, 
and was rapidly closing up. The distance from 
Hazelton to Port Essington, at the mouth of the river 
on the Pacific coast, is estimated to be one hundred 
and fifty miles, and during the greater part of its 
course toward the sea, it is obstructed by numerous 
rapids, the navigation of which is difficult, and often 
dangerous. A mile below Hazelton the Wotsonqua, 
a south-eastern tributary, enters the Skeena. This 
river takes its rise some eighty miles from its mouth, 
to the west of Lake Babine ; and for the greater part 
of that distance flows through a succession of deep 
rocky canons. The Susqua enters the latter some 
eighteen miles from Hazelton. 

Several bands of Indians live and hunt in the vici- 
nity of the Forks. They are generally of a peaceable 
disposition, and work for the whites with alacrity 
and good-will. About three miles from Hazelton, 
and three hundred feet down in the rocky bed 
of the Wotsonqua, there is a large Indian ranche, or 
village, of some twenty houses, called the "Achwyl- 
get." Immediately in front of it the Indians have 



104 Canada on the Pacific. 

thrown a suspension bridge across the rocky chasm, 
through which the waters of the Wotsonqua rush 
with impetuous haste towards the Skeena. Here 
the scenery is wild, and sufficiently picturesque to 
please the most ardent lover of nature. The bridge 
is built entirely of wood, fastened together by withes 
and branches ; its height above the roaring waters 
beneath is fifty feet, and it sways about under the 
weight of a man, to try even the nerves of a Blond in. 
Several very elaborately carved and lofty crest 
poles stand in front of the principal houses of this 
ranche. Those are generally hewn out of large pines, 
often sixty feet in height, and from base to top are 
carved many curious figures, representing bears, toads, 
fish and creatures of mythical origin. Some of the 
carving is so well done as to equal the best work I 
have ever seen executed by the New Zealanders, 
who excel in that art. The carvers of those poles 
often spend many months in their construction, and 
the amount of ingenuity displayed and labour 
expended varies directly as the rank and wealth of 
the chief whose motto or crest they are intended to 
represent. At the butt, some uncouth and hideous 
animal, a puzzle to the most expert palaeontologist, 
is cut out of the wood, and as the spar tapers 
upwards, the figures diminish in size, and become of 
less elaborate design, until, upon the very pinnacle 
the ridiculous and grotesquely carved figure of an 
aboriginal, pipe in mouth, and capped by a plug hat, 



An Indian Ranche. 105 

♦entirely destroys the effect of what is, otherwise, very 
often, a really fine work of art. 

The houses are of great size, but with few preten- 
sions to comfort, and always have a large fire-place 
in the middle, round which from fifty to one hundred 
persons can find accommodation. The doors of some 
of those dwellings were well worthy of inspection. 
One house in particular was entered through the 
folding jaws of some nondescript animal, which, as 
you entered, snapped and shut down upon you with 
a semblance of savage ferocity, almost akin to rea- 
lity. Those large ranches are generally deserted 
during the winter months, when the Indians retire 
to the shelter of the woods, where fuel is more easily 
obtained, and the trapping of different furred ani- 
mals can be prosecuted with advantage. A little 
below Hazelton there is another Indian village, but 
of small extent, and, like that of the Achwylget, it 
was also abandoned by its usual denizens. Those 
were the first really large and well-built dwellings 
of Indians I had yet met with, but, as the reader 
will see, if he follows me to the coast, they were 
insignificant when compared with the immense and 
comfortable houses of the tribes living in more 
immediate proximity to the sea. 

My first visit after breakfasting with Tom, was to 

his partner, Mr. McK , who lived in an adjoining 

house. These gentlemen were engaged in the fur 
trade, and carried on, besides, a miscellaneous traffic 



106 Canada on the Pacific. 

with passing miners, of whom there were some score or 
more then wintering at the " Forks." As might have 
been expected, there was, besides the dwelling-houses 
and stores, a saloon, which formed the favourite 
resort of the residents during their hours of leisure, 
when " poker," " euchre " " and forty-five " absorbed 
the attention of the jovial and reckless population. 
Owing to the want of accommodation at Hankins' 
house, I shifted my quarters to the saloon, and was 
located in a log-house, containing but one room and a 
closet, where the bar- tender kindly provided me with 
a bedstead, on which I hoped to pass, after a civilized 
fashion, a few really comfortable nights ; but unfor- 
tunately for me, I reckoned without my host, and 
did not calculate upon the disorganization conse- 
quent upon the rioting and festivities of Christmas 
week, then close at hand. The weather had again 
become settled, and on the morning of Christmas eve 
the thermometer stood at twenty-two degrees below 
zero. This was, however, a much higher tempera- 
ture than is usually experienced at this place. I was 
informed that the previous winter forty, and even 
fifty, degrees below zero had been, by no means, 
exceptional readings at the corresponding period. 

From early morning until far into the evening the 
miners and every one else at the place were busily 
occupied in getting up shooting matches and other 
games, with which to usher in the time-honoured 
holiday ; and at midnight of the 24th, the bursting 



Christmas at the Diggings. 107 

of a bomb consisting of 25 pounds of gunpowder 
securely tied up in many thicknesses of strong canvas, 
announced the day which Englishmen so much 
delight to respect. Simultaneously a dropping fire of 
muskets and revolvers, accompanied by shouts 
and yells from the excited crowd, resounded through 
the air, and forthwith the major part of the popula- 
tion of Hazelton crowded into the saloon, where 
ample justice was done to the occasion in many a flow- 
ing bumper, the exciting effects of which were soon 
manifested by eager demands for music and dancing. 
An old accordeon and tambourine, the only instru- 
ments at the place, were called into requisition, while 
the crack dancers took the floor, among whom, and 
chief of them all, figured Dancing Bill, of British 
Columbian renown. The fun grew fast and furious ; 
the legitimate instruments already in use, and soon 
rendered almost unserviceable, were not found suffi- 
cient to satisfy the terpsichorean tastes of the miners ; 
frying pans, pokers, shovels, anything, in fact, 
capable of producing sound, were therefore added to 
the list, and helped to swell the din become now 
almost demoniacal. To sleep through such an uproar 
was, of course, out of the question ; so, seizing the first 
opportunity, I made myself scarce, and sought 
refuge in a neighbouring shanty, where I managed 
to elude the vigilance of the noisy crowd, and snatch 
several hours of quiet rest. These demonstrations 
of mirth and loyalty continued for several days, and^ 



108 Canada on the Pacific. 

to avoid them, I was glad of the occasion to make a 
short tour of exploration around the base of the Ro- 
cher Deboule and up the Wotsonqua, in which I was 
joined by Tom, who had now become sick and tired 
of the several days' consecutive festivity. 

After a short journey up the Skeena in the direc- 
tion of Kyspyox, with McK for my companion, 

when we photographed several places of interest — 
amongst others, Hazelton and the mountains in its 
vicinity — Tom Hankin and I, accompanied by Char- 
lie and another Indian, started on a little tour up the 
Wotsonqua, taking with as my camera, which Tom, 
facetiously, and as it turned out, unfortunately, 
chose to designate by the rather inappropriate name 
of the " Cholera Box." In order to explain, it is 
necessary to remark that a few months previous Mr. 
T., the gentleman in charge of the Mission Station at 
the mouth of the Naas River, had paid a pastoral 
visit to the Achwylget Indians. With his other im- 
pedimenta he had brought a small magic lantern 
and slides, which were duly exhibited to their won- 
dering gaze, not without a certain amount of pomp 
and* ceremony. After the reverend gentleman's 
departure, however, it most unfortunately happened 
that a species of cholera broke out among the native 
Hazeltonians ; the origin of which they most illogi- 
cally attributed to the " one-eyed devil " in the lan- 
tern and its exhibitor. Once possessed of the idea, 
which the native medicine men did their utmost to 



A •< Cholera Box." 109 

encourage, the reasoning and arguments of the whites 
were unavailing ; and as the disease spread, so did 

the belief in the occult powers of Mr. T gain 

ground. This was Tom's story, and he added that 

perhaps it was just as well for Mr. T that he had 

" mizzled 5 ' before serious consequences ensued. With 
this unfortunate precedent the reader may imagine 
that I was not unnaturally a little shy of parading 
the camera, an instrument bearing a certain family 
likeness to the hated lantern, and which my friend 
Tom would persist in calling by such an obnoxious 
name. As luck would have it, after we were out a 
couple of days, the Indian, who made the photo- 
graphic apparatus his particular burthen, was taken 
suddenly ill one evening in camp. We had noticed 
certain peculiarities in his behaviour, and had, on 
several occasions, observed him eyeing the dreaded 
box with looks of evident aversion. When turning 
in on that particular evening, Tom remarked in 
his sententious way : " I'll bet the treats that fellow's 
berth will be vacant to-morrow morning." And 
when we got up the following day, we found his pro- 
phetic speech verified, for no Indian was to be seen 
but Charlie, who said the fellow had gone off, evi- 
dently in mortal terror of the box and its mysterious 
contents. Tom and I thus fell in for equal shares of 
the remaining load, while Charlie, being a Hyder, 
and above such superstitious fears, shouldered the 
box without comment. 



110 Canada on the Pacific. 

Upon several occasions during this little tour, we 
came upon the remains of the Western Union Tele- 
graph Company's line, and at one particular stage of 
our trip, followed for several miles the wide and well 
cut-out trail which had been opened for that purpose. 
The reader may possibly not be aware of the fact 
that, several years ago, the Western Union constructed 
a telegraph line from Quesnel to Kyspyox, intending* 
to carry it northwards to Behring's straits, where, by 
a cable, it was to have connected with the Asiatic 
shores, and, after being carried over the vast Siberian 
Steppes, with Europe. This was previous to the suc- 
cessful termination of the North Atlantic Company's 
operations, which, of course, put a stop to further 
attempts in this direction. The wide and thoroughly 
cut-out trail still remains, but the poles have been 
ruthlessly cut down by the Indians, who stole the 
insulators, and made use of the wire for various pur- 
poses. Tons of that expensive material still lie in 
the dreary depths of the British Columbian forests, 
while immense coils are yet in store at the now 
deserted post, Fort Stager, the relics of a vast under- 
taking, and a silent tribute to American enterprise. 
Before returning to the Forks, we followed the 
lofty banks of the Wotsonqua, and made several 
ineffectual attempts to cross it. For miles this stream 
flows at the bottom of a hideous canon, which we 
found impossible to descend. The scenery was of the 
very wildest, and, but for the constant fall of snow, 



Characteristics of Miners. Ill 

would have furnished some fine photographs. As it 
was, we were obliged to content ourselves with a 
hurried examination, obtained often at great risk, 
for the perpendicular and rocky walls of this Styx- 
like river were of immense height, and the steadiest 
. nerves were required to enable one to reach a posi- 
tion from whence the dreary depths of the abyss 
' could be seen. On our return we found all hands in 
a state of convalescence, and quietly settling down 
again to their usual humdrum life. 

During conversations I had on different occasions 
with the miners then wintering at Hazel ton, T 
gathered that the operations of the last season had not 
been very successful. A few, as usual, had made fair 
wages, but the majority had only spent their time 
and labour in the chimerical pursuit of wealth, and 
had returned, some to Victoria, and a few to this 
place, poorer in purse and health than at the com- 
mencement of the season, but still brimful of hope 
and perfectly sanguine as regarding the next spring's 
work. The miner is truly a wonderful combination 
of pluck and endurance ; although often unfortunate, 
he is never discouraged. After years of unrequited 
labour, he generally returns to the scenes of former 
operations with renewed hope, or shouldering his 
blankets he roams, very often alone, over rugged 
mountains, through dense forests, across rapid and 
dangerous rivers, in pursuit of that gold which too 
often proves a curse to its possessor. He is generous 



112 Canada on the Pacific. 

to a degree, and will share his last crust and spend 
his " bottom " dollar in treating a friend. In his 
cups, he is sometimes an ugly customer, but in that 
respect he is no worse than his neighbours. In nine 
cases out of ten, he is a lover of law and order, at 
any rate, such was the character given of those ope- 
rating upon the Omenica by Judge Fitzgerald, who, 
during his tenure of office at those diggings, and 
aided by one constable only, rarely, if ever, had 
trouble in adjusting the difficulties arising in those 
remote localities. 




CHAPTER IX. 

HAZELTON TO NAAS. 



Routes to the Coast— A Chinook Vocabulary useful — Skirting a 
Frozen River — Kitsigeuhle — Unpromising Quarters —A Greasy 
Caravan — Kitwangar Valley — Kitwancole — Pagan Orgies — In- 
genious Carving—An Indian Mart — Lake Scenery — Welpam- 
toots — Valley of the Chean-howan — Trail lost — Muskeeboo — 
" Yorkshire" Indian — A Trying Walk — Naas Scenery — Alaska 
visible — Indian Suspension Bridge — Beyond the Chean-howan 
Canon — Valuable Silver Lode — Basaltic Columns — A Native 
Bal Masque — Kitawn. 



HILE at the Forks I had many conversa- 
tions with the miners about the different 
routes to the coast. One and all spoke very unfa- 
vourably of the Skeena, which, in its entire course 
to the sea passes through a rough and mountainous 
country. For some distance to where the Killoosah 
River enters it, (probably some sixty miles below the 
Forks) practicable, and in some cases, level benches 
occur, but below, when the Cascade and Coast ranges 
intervene, the Skeena flows through deep and rocky 
canons, where advance by land is extremely difficult 

and sometimes impossible. As for Port Essingfcon 
H 




114 Canada on the Pacific. 

* 

itself, it was described as a miserable swamp, backed 
by precipitous mountains, and having a shoal and 
poor harbour, a visit to which would have ill repaid 
me for the expensive and tedious journey down the 
Skeena. After having given due consideration, 
therefore, to the Kitimat route, one which would 
have brought me to the coast at a more southern point 
than Port Essington, I decided to cross the country 
between the Skeena and the Naas, by the latter des- 
cend to the sea, where, at its mouth I was informed 
a good harbour was to be found. 

On the 14th of January I took my departure from 
Hazelton, accompanied by four coast Indians, who 
engaged with me for the trip at the very moderate 
rate of seventy-five cents per day. As a matter of 
course we were provided with snow-shoes, and took 
a plentiful stock of flour, bacon, beans, tea and dried 
salmon — the latter, much superior in size and quality 
to that caught in the more inland waters of Lakes 

Stewart and Babine. Tom Hankin and McK 

proposed to accompany us for a short distance ; so 
after bidding adieu to the miners we started at three, 
p.m., following the ice on the Skeena. Six miles below 
Hazelton I camped, Tom and McK. — returning home- 
ward. My new men were perfect strangers to me, 
and unable to speak one word of English. They were, 
however, masters of the Chinook jargon, a vocabu- 
lary of which elegant language I carried with me, 
and by its aid I was soon upon a good understand- 



Skirting a frozen River. 115 

» 
ing with my companions. I had provided a small 
cotton tent open at one end. This we usually put up 
in front of the fire, and found it extremely conve- 
nient; the nights rarely passing without a slight fall 
of snow, the disagreeable effects of which this thin 
and light covering completely obviated. The next 
morning, after breakfast, the men packed up and com- 
menced the journey in good earnest. I gave them a 
two hours start, and then followed in their tracks. 
Our way lay along the marginal ice of the Skeena, 
which was generally open in the middle, and ex- 
tremely rapid. Now and again when the river 
widened, and an interval of slack water was reached ; 
the ice extended from shore to shore, but this was of 
rare occurrence ; and from one bank to the other it 
was often piled up in the most fantastic shapes, 
under which the fierce current rushed and gurgled. 
In these cases we were obliged to take to the rocks, 
and often had to pass through the thick willows and 
underbrush which lined the shore. East of this 
morning s camp, and distant five miles, the Rocher 
Deboule range could still be seen towering high 
above the wide stretch of level benches which inter- 
vene between it and the Skeena. About noon as we 
made more southing, the same range began to break 
away towards the south-east, in which direction a 
large valley could be traced for a great distance, 
while a mile or so to the south another high range 
of mountains trended to the westward as far as the 



116 Canada on the Pacific. 

eye could reach. During the afternoon we passed 
the Indian Village of Kitsigeuhl£ situated on the 
left bank. This ranche was quite deserted, its usual 
occupants being then away at a great feast given by 
the Indians of Kitwancole, a village lying on our 
route which we expected to reach in a day or two. 

A little below Kitsigeuhle I came upon my Indians 
as they were resting against a huge fallen spruce ; all 
eyes were turned upon the " Doctor/' the most in- 
telligent of the lot, as I came up, and he greeted me 
in " Chinook " : " Cloosh spose nisika sleep ;" at the 
same time pointing to a recess in the steep and densely 
wooded slopes of the high mountains, which there 
closed in the left bank of the Skeena. This extraor- 
dinary sentence meant that there was a camping 
place, and that if I did not follow his advice we 
might go further and fare worse. So I assented, and 
with a grin of approbation they pitched off their 
loads, and went to work with alacrity to construct a 
camp. I must confess that it was not without cer- 
tain misgivings that I assented, for the spot chosen 
for our night's resting-place was of forbidding aspect, 
and did not offer sufficient level space for a dog to 
coil up in ; however, we cleared away the snow down 
to the very boulders, with which the shore was 
strewn in great profusion. Immediately above high 
water mark, the mountain slopes commenced, at an 
angle of 60° or 70°, while the dense woods and thick 
underbrush effectually barred their ascent. Here we 



A Greasy Caravan. 117 

scratched and dug, filling up holes with boulders and 
logs, and adding brush, which supplied a carpeting, if 
not as elegant, at least as comfortable as the finest 
Brussels. After a couple of hours' steady work the 
place had undergone quite a transformation, and soon 
a cheerful fire, in front of which our cotton tent was 
nicely pitched, lighted up the weird and picturesque 
scene. At seven the following morning the men 
were up and away before dawn. For three miles 
and a half we still kept the ice of the Skeena, when 
reaching the head of a rapid, we struck to the right, 
and ascended a steep hill, keeping a nor west course 
for the Kitwangar River, which we came to at one 
p.m., having cut off a good sized triangular piece of 
the rough country between it and the Skeena. 

Since we left the river we met many of the Kitsi- 
geuhl£ Indians returning from the great feast at 
Kitwancole; more than one hundred must have 
passed us, and they were, without a single excep- 
tion, not only the men, but also the women and 
children, laden with large cedar boxes, of the size 
and shape of tea-chests, which were filled with the 
rendered grease of the candle fish caught in the 
Naas waters. What from the rancid and putrescent 
smell of the grease, and their own filthy persons, 
down which the perspiration rolled as they plodded 
laboriously along, bent double in some cases under the 
crushing weight of their enormous loads, they could, 
especially when to windward, be scented from afar. 



118 Canada on the Pacific, 

Eight out of every ten of them were suffering from 
ophthalmia. They passed us in twos and threes • 
sometimes a whole family, father, mother, and olive 
branches, all loaded to their utmost capacity ; little 
children even, of tender years, carried burthens of 
thirty or forty pounds weight, and tottered along in 
silence. One sturdy savage had, in addition to the 
usual load of grease, perched on its summit, an 
old and decrepid woman, perhaps his mother. This 
man could not have had less than two hundred and 
fifty pounds weight upon his back ; but they are a 
tough, hardy set, and great carriers. 

At three, p.m., we camped amid some spruce trees 
Since we took the land to-day, we had kept gene- 
rally at an elevation of seven or eight hundred feet 
above the Skeena, of which the direction, though 
itself hidden from view, could be traced by a high 
and precipitous range of escarped mountains trend- 
ing far to the west. The snow, which averaged & 
depth of only fourteen inches, did not trouble us, 
and was trodden hard by the Indians we had passed. 
Close to ours was a large camp of Indians returning 
to their ranche at the mouth of the Kitwangar 
river. 

The days were now excessively short, and day- 
light had barely appeared at seven, a.m., on the 
morning of the 7th, when we were again on the 
road, still benefiting by a fine trail, where we could 
dispense with our snow-shoes. We were now fol- 



Kitwancole. 119 

lowing up the eastern slope of the Kitwangar valley, 
which was very rough, and intersected by numerous 
gullies. The trail kept from a mile to a mile and a 
half from the river, and soon entered a dense forest 
of heavy spruce and pine, through which we plodded 
until ten, when the trail turned suddenly river- 
wards, and we descended to a beautiful level, in the 
middle of which the Kitwangar flowed southwards 
to the Skeena, then distant probably twelve miles. 
Just before leaving the high ground above, we 
passed through the centre of an immense encamp- 
ment of Indians, numbering, at least, two hundred. 
They paid no attention to us, and we returned the 
compliment, giving them the " cut direct." Before 
running the gauntlet of one of those camps we usually 
broke off stout sticks from some neighbouring tree, 
with which to repel the too inquisitive and imper- 
tinent advances of the Indian dogs, which invariably 
paid us more attention than their masters, and 
whose name was legion. Following for three miles 
the fine level and alluvial bottom, which is from half 
to three-quarters of a mile wide and about ten feet 
above the river (a beautiful salmon stream which 
myriads of those fish annually ascend to the Kit- 
wancole lake), we arrived at Kitwancole, a village 
of about twenty large houses, situated on the edge 
of the river, and hemmed in to the east and west by 
high mountains. The valley which lies north and 
south is here about a couple of miles in width, and 



120 Canada on the Pacific. 

its western slopes are thickly timbered for a long 
distance ap. Notwithstanding the large numbers of 
Indians whom we had met during this forenoon's 
march, there 8 were still many at the village. The 
news of our arrival spreading like wild-fire, there 
was a general rush of men, women and children from 
the houses ; a large and noisy crowd, disfigured by 
paint and charcoal, and still bearing the traces of 
their horrible and disgusting orgies, surrounding and 
questioning us as to our intent and business. The 
filth of this heathenish throng was something dread- 
ful, while the abominable stench of the candle fish 
grease, which they devour in the most inordinate 
quantities, completely saturated the atmosphere. 

My attention was attracted by several tall and 
stately spars, beautifully carved into the most hide- 
ous and fantastic forms of creatures impossible to 
designate. One of recent construction, and measur- 
ing, I should think, four feet at the butt, had just 
been erected ; for the large hole dug to receive it had 
not yet been filled up. This was the finest I had 
seen up to the present, and would be worthy of a 
place in the British Museuja. The doors of several 
of the houses were guarded on each side by large 
carvings of dogs and other animals, which added to 
the incongruity of the scene. For the last ten days 
this village had been the place of barter between the 
Naas Indians and those of the interior. The former 
had carried up grease to the extent of many hundred 



Lake Scenery. 121 

boxes, which they had exchanged with the Skeena 
Indians for blankets and other articles. Their busi- 
ness being satisfactorily arranged, they wound up by 
a big " spree," in which, liquor being wanting, they 
feasted on dried salmon and grease, and danced 
themselves into a state of prostration from which 
they were only now recovering, 

After a short delay we hurried forward, and follow, 
ing the level valley for several miles, camped about 
three miles from the outlet of the lake, and twenty- 
the six from Skeena. The next morning, an hour's 
smart walking over an almost dead level prairie bot- 
tom, about half-a-niile in width, brought us to the 
outlet of the lake, which is about seven miles in 
iongth, and lies nearly south-east and north-west. 
Either side of this picturesque sheet of water is 
available for a road, but the eastern shore is the better. 
Hitherto, from the Skeena, our general direction had 
been nearly due north, but the valley now began to 
trend nor'-nor'- westerly, and on reaching the upper end 
of the lake the vista in that direction extended for 
many miles. To the south-east, the high, snow-cap- 
ped mountain, which was conspicuous to the west- 
ward from Hazelton, appeared to tower far above 
us to the right, while on the west side the valley 
was still bounded by a high wall of mountains 
which stretched north-westerly as far as the eye 
could reach. 

Beyond the upper end of the lake the land was 



122 Canada on the Pacific. 

low and swampy, supporting a fair growth of cedars,, 
and some distance up, on the western slopes of the 
valley, a little stream came tumbling down through 
the cedar swamp, until within a mile of the lake, 
when it seemed to change its mind, and instead of 
contributing its tiny volume to the waters of the 
Skeena, turned suddenly round in the opposite direc- 
tion to add its quota to the Naas. We dined on this 
watershed, a keen frost giving zest to the dried sal- 
mon which the " Doctor " cooked, and served very 
simply, by quickly presenting, first one side then the 
other, to the blazing fire, and placing the savoury 
brown mass upon a chip, a most excellent substitute 
for a plate. While at dinner several of the Naas 
Indians overtook and passed us on their way home. 
They rarely stopped to speak, generally passing 
on without exhibiting the obtrusive curiosity cha- 
racteristic of the Indians on the east side of the 
Rocky Mountains. 

Resuming our march after dinner, the trail being 
yet well beaten, and keeping the slopes in order to 
avoid the long grass in the low bottom, we passed, 
three miles and a-half further on, the Indian village 
of Welpamtoots, and camped two miles lower 
down the valley. During this afternoon's walk the 
snow was about two feet in depth. The valley of 
the Chean-howan, which we had been following 
since dinner, was here about half-a-rnile wide, some- 
times stretching out to a greater extent, and perfectly 



Valley of the Chean-howan. 123 

uniform, with a gentle descent towards the Naas of 
about one in one hundred and twenty. The little 
river which meandered from side to side of this nar- 
row bottom had cut out a channel from twenty to 
twenty-five yards in width, and six to eight feet in 
depth. In places its bed was almost dry, and strewn 
with small boulders. 

This valley had a most singular appearance ; the 
narrow level portion, between the mountain slopes, 
was so perfectly uniform that it seemed as if 
some giant had planed it, while the surface bore a 
luxuriant crop of grass, with occasionally a clump 
of cedars, spruce, or immense rough-bark poplars. 
The river margin was covered with a dense thicket 
of willows, which rendered walking extremely diffi- 
cult. Our camp was situated some seventy feet above 
the river, and was quite unsheltered. We had, how- 
ever, abundance of dry wood ; and the night not 
being cold, we slept comfortably, and were on our 
way betimes the following morning. The barometer 
dropped 4-10ths of aninch since last evening, and snow 
had fallen steadily during the greater part of the 
night, which rendered travelling this forenoon very 
fatiguing. We pushed on, however, the trail be- 
coming very much worse, the barometer falling 
steadily, and a constant drizzle of fine hard snow 
totally obscuring the mountains. After making 
poor progress we camped near a large assemblage of 
Naas Indians, who were returning homewards. 



124 Canada on the Pacific. 

Here the trail, or what was left of it, disappeared 
entirely, and we had now to beat the road through 
three feet of snow, very soft, and extremely difficult 
to plough through. We were joined by one of the 
Indians at this place, who kept us company, and 
good-naturedly took his turn at beating the road. 
This individual bore the name of " Muskeeboo." He 
was a chief in his way, and professed a knowledge 
of the English language; but he spoke with a strong 
Yorkshire accent, very difficult to understand. 
We were now fairly in for a spell of very heavy 
walking, there being no trail ; the cunning Nas- 
cars carefully keeping in the rear, in order to benefit 
by our track, which now lay through thick brush, 
and sometimes crossing the Chean-howan on the ice, 
as it interrupted our line of travel. 

On the 11th, at noon, after having followed the 
high banks on the right side of the river for some 
distance, we again struck the Chean-howan, and 
camped upon its banks. Here we were overtaken 
by a Nascar chief, who, with his deaf and dumb 
nephew, was on his waj^ to Kitlatamox, a village 
situated on the Naas, about twenty-five miles above 
tide-water, The snow was now fully three and a 
half feet deep, and extremely soft, causing us great 
labour in beating the road. The front man had no 
sinecure, as at every step, even with large snow- 
shoes, he sank down a couple of feet. Muskeeboo 
and I, therefore, took our turn in the van, changiDg 



Alaska Visible. 125 

our position every few hundred yards ; and although 
the thermometer stood at about zero, we were glad 
to strip off* our superfluous ^clothing, and walk in 
our shirt-sleeves. Even in this light costume, half- 
an-hour of such laborious work sufficed to bring out 
the perspiration in beads, which coursed down our 
faces, and occasioned intense thirst among us all, to 
allay which the Indians scooped up, now and again* 
a handful of snow, which they consumed with evident 
relish. On the 12th, at noon, we stopped for dinner 
on the side of a high hill overhanging the river ; and 
while the men were making a fire, and melting snow 
for our tea- water, Muskeeboo and I ascended the 
hill, to obtain a view of the country to the south- 
west, in which direction lay Kitlatamox. We were 
obliged to furnish ourselves with long poles, without 
which the ascent would have been impossible. As 
it was, half-an-hour was occupied in getting up to 
an altitude of four hundred feet above our fire ; but 
from that position we had a famous view of the 
country for many miles. The hills on the west side 
of the Naas could be seen very distinctly, and the 
far-off snow-capped mountains of Alaska peeped up 
here and there in the blue distance. Six hundred 
feet below, the little Chean-howan trickled on over 
its gravelly bed, which, in the summer season, is the 
haunt of many a lusty salmon. The valley at this 
point was about nine hundred yards wide, and 
thickly timbered with extremely large rough-bark 



126 Canada on the Pacific. 

poplar, spruce, birch, and a species of red pine, which 
grew to a large size. When descending the hill-side, 
which was entirely bereft of timber, and in some 
places covered with snow to a depth of four feet, a 
slip occurred, which, however, had only the effect of 
startling us. Several score of Indians overtook us 
to-day; but on reaching our fire, they stopped, coolly 
intimating their intention to wait for our track. 
We accordingly pushed on, after anathematizing the 
lazy rascals in no measured terms ; and following 
the river for some distance, took the right bank of 
the valley, and camped amongst a dense grove of 
pine and balsam, the latter furnishing fine bedding 
upon which to lay our blankets — the cunning dogs 
of Nascars, who clung to us like limpets to a rock, 
camping beside us. 

On the 13th, at six, a.m., we moved on ; a mile and 
a-half over the hills taking us to the edge of the 
valley again, down the sides of which we slid for 
about two hundred and fifty feet, and as the day 
was breaking, reached the bed of the Chean-howan, 
close to an Indian suspension bridge. The uniform 
and even bottom, through which the river had found 
its way from the watershed, now disappeared en- 
tirely, giving place to a deep and rocky gully, the 
rugged walls of which rose perpendicularly for a 
hundred feet on either side, as we picked our way 
laboriously over huge fragments of dolerite which 
strewed the river bed. At eight, a.m., we emerged 



Beyond the Chean-Howan Canon. 127 

from the darkness of the Chean-howan Canon, and 
took the ice on the Naas, here not more than sixty- 
yards wide, and walled in by perpendicular trap 
rocks, one hundred and fifty feet in height. We had 
now good ice, and travelled for five miles, until we 
reached the head of a series of rapids, when we took 
the land, and stopped to rest and toil the kettle. 
Although we were able to keep the ice since leaving 
the Chean-howan, walking was very laborious, the 
snow being deep, and saturated with water from the 
overflowings. At dinner, we were rejoined by our 
pertinacious friends, the Nascars, who came up as we 
were leaving the fire. Ascending the left bank of 
the Naas, of which we now lost sight altogether, as 
it coursed on towards the sea through a canon two 
hundred and fifty feet in depth, we made our way 
through dense woods, and camped, after making 
about fifteen miles, and breaking the trail through 
three and a-half feet of snow. 

At nine the following morning we descended 
again to the river by a winding and precipitous 
path, where the utmost caution had to be used, tak- 
ing the ice three hundred and fifty feet below the 
trail, and about ten miles below the head of the 
rapids. A mile and a-half further, we passed a little 
river coming from the Nor'-West, upon which there 
js reported to be a large and valuable silver ode. 
We had now good ice for about seven miles, until 
another rapid caused us to take the woods for a 



128 Canada on the Pacific. 

short distance ; and after clambering over a rocky- 
point, we again took the river on a narrow ledge of 
ice, two feet wide, upon which we very cautiously 
crawled for two hundred yards, having, on one hand, 
a perpendicular wall of rock, while, on the other, - 
the swift waters of the Naas seethed and boiled in 
a manner which actually caused the blood to curdle, 
as a single false step would have inevitably cost us 
our lives. A quarter of a mile below this rapid we 
passed some very extraordinary columnar basaltic 
rocks, of which the river banks were composed ; but 
night coming on, and there being every indication 
of a heavy snow fall, I had no time to examine 
minutely their curious appearance. Following Mus- 
keeboo, who now took the lead, we walked on for 
three miles more, and put up in that gentleman's 
ranche at Kitlatamox, where we arrived at half-past 
five. 

Kitlatamox is a large village, situated on the 
banks of the Naas, and about twenty-five miles from 
tide-water. It has a population of about three 
hundred, who subsist entirely on the salmon and 
other fish which frequent this river in myriads. 
Muskeeboo's house, unlike all the others, was pass- 
ably clean, and his family — a large one — bestirred 
themselves to make things comfortable for my 
accommodation. The house was what we would call, 
in the civilized world, a tenement, there being 
another distinct family on the ground floor, while 



Kitwanshelt 129 

Muskeeboo occupied the upper portion, to which 
access was obtained from the outside by stairs. 
Muskeeboo's portion consisted of one large room, 
forty feet by sixty, in the centre of which was a 
large square space, covered with earth, on which 
some blazing logs barely sufficed to give the neces- 
sary warmth, and to light up the immediate neigh- 
bourhood of the fireplace, around which were grouped 
about a dozen specimens of aborigines. Sundry 
chests of rendered " uhlihan " grease, and dried sal- 
mon in great quantities, were piled up against the 
walls, which were boarded with hewn pine planks 
thirty inches wide. Enormous beams supported the 
low flat roof, open above the fireplace, to allow the 
acrid smoke to escape. In addition to his ordinary 
avocations, Muskeeboo did a small business in gro- 
ceries, which he disposed of to the other Indians, in 
consideration of certain furs, such as martens, foxee, 
etc., etc., — a barrel or two of biscuits and Sandwich 
Island sugar being his stock-in-trade. 

Nine miles below the village, and on the same side 
of the river, there is another large ranche called Kit- 
wanshelt, for w^hich we started on the 16th, having 
been detained by bad weather; snow and rain hav- 
ing fallen without intermission during the whole of 
the clay before. There were three or four miners at 
Kitlatamox, then on their way to the Forks of 
Skeena. They had recently arrived from Fort 
Simpson, and were awaiting the return of the In- 
I 



130 Canada on the Pacific. 

dians from Kitwaneole in order to benefit by their 
trail. One of them proposed^ to accompany me to 
McNeil's, at the mouth of the Naas, so he and I, 
together with Muskeeboo, left the village at noon, and 
after following the ice for the greater part of the 
way, reached Kitwanshelt at half-past three, in the 
midst of a fearful down-pour of rain. During the 
greater part of this distance the banks were rather 
low, and four miles below the upper village on the 
left bank we passed a small river coming from the 
eastward. This stream flowed through a fine open 
valley, walled in on the south by the Cascade range, 
which we were now entering. This valley, Muskee- 
boo informed me, afforded an excellent route to the 
Skeena, upon which it debouches above the Kitsel- 
lasse Canon. The bottom of this valley, as also that 
of an immense flat extending for several miles below 
the outlet of the little stream, was composed of scoriae, 
probably the result of ancient volcanic disturbance. 
The mountains about here were extremely rugged, 
and densely timbered for a long way up, but were 
much obscured by the heavy mists which hung over 
them. On reaching the village, Muskeeboo con- 
ducted me to a large house owned by a friend of his, 
where I found my men already quartered, they hav- 
ing preceded me by a few hours. This village is 
situated upon a rocky point overhanging the river, 
and consists of, probably, a score of houses. 

During the course of the evening, and after sup- 



A Native Bed Masque. 131 

per, we were entertained by the exhibition of a 
native dance, in which some fifty men and women par- 
ticipated. They came trooping in, nearly all masked 
and dressed in the most curious attire ; the men 
divested of their nether garments, and the women 
rather scantily arrayed, considering the time of the 
year. To describe the dance would be impossible. 
The motions were vigorous ; and if not graceful, were, 
at any rate, whimsical, and rather free ; the men and 
women dancing alternately. There seemed to be a 
leader on each side, who did his or her utmost to 
execute the most fantastic steps, which were accom- 
panied by frightful facial contortions, and a mono- 
tonous chant, with which they kept excellent time. 
After an hour's exhibition they desisted, and retired 
to their respective habitations, completely worn out, 
as indeed they well might be, their antics having 
been more like those of a band of escaped lunatics 
than of rational beings. During the intervals of the 
dance I examined some of the masks, which were 
beautifully made. They were of all styles, and repre- 
sented the faces of different animals. I was much 
struck with one, a delicately carved wooden imita- 
tion of an eagle's head, with a rather exaggerated 
beak and movable eyes, which, during the most 
vigorous part of the dance, rolled about in a manner 
fearful to contemplate. The house now being quiet, 
I made my bed in one of the many vacant bunks 
built against the walls, and soon the steady patter- 



132 Canada on the Pacific. 

ing of the rain without was the only sound to be s 
heard in the now sleeping village. 

The next morning, on getting up, it was still 
pouring, and a thick, heavy mist hung over the valley, 
completely hiding the Cascade range which we had 
now to enter and pass through before reaching the 
" salt- chuck " (sea), which was yet about eighteen 
miles distant. The unusual comfort of the ranche 
had caused us to oversleep ourselves, so that by 
the time breakfast was over, and our traps were 
packed, it was ten o'clock before we were fairly on 
our way again. We were obliged to put on our snow- 
shoes, there being no trail, and the snow lying fully 
four feet deep along the river margin and on the 
thickly timbered flats which now extended for half 
a mile or more back from the river. As we had an- 
ticipated, the walking was now execrable, as the 
snow was saturated with rain, and water covered 
the ice to a depth of several inches. In many places 
the river was quite open, obliging us to keep the 
right bank, as we were unable to cross to the oppo- 
site side. Our progress was consequently very slow, 
and at dusk we were still a long way from the In- 
dian village of Kitawn, which lay a few miles below 
tide-water. We still walked on through a steady 
down-pour of rain, and reached the ranche at nine 
p.m., completely drenched and our snow-shoes entirely 
used up from the effects of the water through. 



Kitawn. 133 

-which we had been obliged to wade for the last ten 
miles. 

On our arrival we very unceremoniously entered 
one of the houses, and, rousing up the inmates, a fire 
was speedily lighted, by which we dried ourselves. The 
master of this establishment was excessively affable 
and accommodating, and furnished clean cedar mats, 
on which we stretched ourselves before the fire, 
where we slept until morning. Nothing could be 
more dismal than the aspect of affairs on the follow- 
ing day, the 18th January, when I got up and went 
outside to look around. The rain still continued, 
and a dense, impenetrable mist hung over the 
houses and the river, completely obscuring the near- 
est objects ; and although the high mountains of the 
Cascade range towered above in our immediate vici- 
nity, we might have been in the midst of the prairie, 
for aught we could tell to the contrary. After 
breakfast we crossed on the ice to McNeil's establish- 
ment, about a mile distant, and which until recently 
belonged to the Hudson Bay Company, who have 
now entirely abandoned their posts on this river. 




CHAPTER X. 



NAAS TO FORT SIMPSON. 

Detained by Rain — Hazardous Canoeing — Camping on the Sea 
Coast — Geographical Outlines — Salmon Cove — Observatory In- 
let — An Avalanche — Naas Harbour — South Inlet — A Critical 
Five Minutes — Work Channel — Chimsean Peninsula — Birnie 
Island — Arrival at Fort Simpson — The Harbour — American 
Military Post — Moral and Religious Condition of the Indians 
— Canoe Building — Agricultural Facilities. 




T NAAS I paid off my Indians and set about 
engaging a crew and canoe to take me to Fort 
Simpson. I was detained, however, until the 20th, not 
being able to procure Indians except at the most- 
exorbitant figures, and it was only after consider- 
able difficulty that McNeil and I were enabled to 
induce the necessary number to engage for the trip, 
which at this season promised to be very disagree- 
able and perhaps hazardous. In the meantime, on 
the afternoon of the 18th, heavy rain again set in, 
and the dreary fog, which during the forenoon of the 
same day had partially lifted, settled down yet lower 
than before, entirely putting an end to the hopes I 



Camping on the Sea-coast. 135 

had entertained of seeing the nature of the moun- 
tains which lie in the rear of McNeil's miserable 
shanty. The rain poured in torrents, and found its 
way through many a chink and hole in the weather- 
beaten roof of the little house, which lay back some 
little way from the river, and was surrounded by 
high willows. 

On the 20th, having managed to hire eight men 
and a very fine canoe, we started down the river for 
the open water, which was yet six miles distant. 
The snow had partially melted away, and six inches 
of water lay upon the ice, through which we waded 
with the utmost unconcern, for use soon renders one 
callous to little inconveniences of this kind. The 
canoe was mounted on a roughly-constructed sled, 
and all hands, aided by some supernumerary assis- 
tants, " tailing on," we made steady progress to the 
edge of the ice, which we reached as the tide was on 
the turn of flood. The day havingbeen nearly spent in 
getting away from the house, I determined on camp- 
ing, as there was every indication of a heavy blow 
and more bad weather. We accordingly stopped on 
a little flat piece of ground, close to the water's edge, 
where the remains of some scaffolding, used the pre- 
vious summer for fish-curing purposes, supplied us 
with the scanty means of making a fire. Two of us 
set to work to clear away the snow, four feet deep, 
with our snow-shoes, while the others made off to 
some distant green timber for brush and additional 



136 Canada on the Pacific. 

firewood. I found camp-making on the sea -coast, 
and in the midst of a pelting rain, a very different 
affair from the same operation in the interior, and 
oh ! how I wished for a temperature of twenty de- 
grees or thirty degrees below zero. The snow was 
of course saturated and very heavy, and the labour 
of clearing a space large enough to accommodate us 
all was by no means light. As we cleared down to 
the ground little rills of water trickled in all direc- 
tions, presenting but a poor prospect for a dry 
night's lodging. My men, however, brought down 
several good loads of green brush, which we spread on 
the wet ground, and rigging the cotton tent and sails 
by the aid of the masts and paddles, we managed to 
protect ourselves to a great extent from the fury of 
the winter storm which burst upon us as we were 
putting the finishing strokes to our encampment. 

It was now four, p.m., and perfectly dark, the 
barometer had sunk to twenty -nine inches, but the 
temperature was high comparatively, the thermome- 
ter standing at thirty-five degrees Fah't. There had 
been little wind all day, but now the storm-king 
began to assert his power, and heavy gusts followed 
each other in rapid succession, driving the pitiless 
rain, which soon changed to sleet and snow, in our 
faces, and on one occasion carrying off our tent and 
sails bodily into the river. With great difficulty we 
started a fire, and having again secured our cotton 
shelter in the best manner possible, passed the long 



Geographical Outlines. 137 

and weary hours as pleasantly as could be expected 
under the circumstances. Every now and then 
some sudden and terrific gust would sweep down the 
valley, and threaten to blow fire, tent and every- 
thing into the water; the acrid smoke produced 
blew in eddies, and almost blinded us, while the 
snow and sleet beat upon our frail covering, which, 
not being of the very best quality, leaked, and caused 
a constant drip, drip, which we could have very thank- 
fully dispensed with. Under such circumstances, a 
good night's rest was out of the question, and we 
hailed the tardy morning light with undisguised 
pleasure. 

At eight a.m. on the 21st, the glass had gone up 
to 29*80 inches, the wind had quite calmed down, 
and the clouds breaking, gave us the promise of 
a short " spell " of fine weather. We accordingly 
packed up and launched our canoe, which was made 
of cedar, a " dug-out " in fact, but shaped in a most 
graceful mould, and evidently intended to stand a 
rough sea. Embarking at nine we paddled towards 
the Salmon Cove, distant six miles and a-half. The 
traces of last night's storm had almost entirely dis- 
appeared, and the sky was nearly clear, a few va- 
poury clouds still clinging about the mountains, 
which I now had the opportunity of seeing properly 
for the first time. Opposite our camp the river was 
a mile and a-half wide ; very high mountains rose 
from the water edge on both sides, and a mile below 



138 Canada on the Pacific, 

camp there was barely room to land, the steep, slip- 
pery rocks rising almost perpendicularly from the 
water, and offering no chance for any creature less 
sure-footed than a goat. The scenery was grand, but 
fearfully desolate. The wind having entirely gone 
down, the long, powerful strokes of my Indian crew 
urged our clipper-modelled craft through the smooth 
water with a noiselessness and speed difficult to rea- 
lize. Now and again we stopped to enjoy the dif- 
ferent phases of the scenery, as each succeeding point 
revealed some fresh portion of the panorama ; pre- 
sently we opened out the Salmon Cove, which now 
lay to our left. A little further on, we caught sight 
of the few houses of the English Church Mission 
station, which bore from us nor -west, and was fully 
three miles distant. We had now also an unob- 
structed view of the land on the west side of Obser- 
vatory Inlet, and could just see Point Ramsden, dis- 
tant seven miles. The Naas Entrance, opposite the 
mission station, is about one mile and a-half wide, 
and there is a fair anchorage in five and seven 
fathoms, abreast of the Mission-house. With but one 
or two exceptions, the shores were steep and almost 
impracticable, and snow-clad mountains rose on 
every hand to an altitude of four or five thousand 
feet, presenting an endless view of surpassing beauty 
and rugged grandeur. The beautiful bay in which 
we now were, is sometimes the scene of terrific 
storms, which generally blow either from the east or 



An Avalanche. 13& 

west. The easterly winds are by far the worst, 
although coming from inland. Their violence is 
something terrific, sweeping down, as they do, along 
the high Cascade range, the deep and narrow gap 
through which the Naas finds its way to the sea > 
forming a funnel which the winds rush through 
with a violence that nothing can withstand. We 
were in luck, however, the wind being, to use a 
sailor's expression, right " up and down," the mir- 
ror-like surface of the deep blue waters of the Paci- 
fic reflecting with fidelity the surrounding moun- 
tains, of which the inverted forms now and again 
undulated almost imperceptibly, as if in homage to 
the spent swell of the great ocean beyond. 

We were now four and a-half miles from the bot- 
tom of Salmon Cove, which lay to the west-sou- 
west. On our port hand was a small level flat 
covered, like the mountains above it, with heavy 
timber. East of this a narrow defile appeared to 
offer the only available means of communication 
with the interior from this harbour, which is none of 
the best, one drawback being the existence of an im- 
mense mud-bank extending a long distance out from 
the flat alluded to, which offers the only convenient 
site on which a village could be built. Three-quar- 
ters of a mile out lies a small dark wooded island, 
and half-a-mile further to the sou-west, another. 
While paddling along gently, we saw an avalanche 
occur down one of the high mountains to the east- 



140 Canada on the Pacific. 

-ward ; this phenomenon must be of rather frequent 
occurrence in this mountainous neighbourhood. Ihe 
one we saw took place about two miles off, and even 
at that distance, the noise of the immense mass of 
snow, as it slid bodily down the mountain slope, and 
over a high precipice on to the trees below, where it 
cleared an avenue for itself in a twinkling, could be 
heard quite distinctly. My Indians watched the in- 
cident with great delight, exclaiming, when it was 
all over: "Hiu snow! Hiu snow ! ,: Several more 
avalanches, but on a smaller scale, were witnessed 
by us, and we finally paddled up to the end of the 
bay, where we landed at noon. 

I now determined to send the canoe round to the 
Nasoga Inlet, a detour of at least twenty miles, while 
I and a couple of Indians were to camp here, and 
make the portage the following day. Before the 
canoe left, we boiled our kettle and lunched on tea 
and dried salmon. Pending the preparations, I got 
out my photographic apparatus, and succeeded in 
getting a negative of the bay, which must be lovely 
in the summer season, but at this time (21st Janu- 
ary) was cold and gloomy, snow lying on the ground 
to a depth of three feet. Reserving for ourselves 
blankets and provisions for a couple of days, the 
canoe pushed off, and we set about making the last 
camp but one of the season. Mr. T/s Mission Station 
was now hidden by the projecting point at the en- 
trance of the cove, but its bearing was about north 



Naas Harbour. 141 

by east, and the distance five miles. I did not de- 
rive much pleasure from this examination of the 
Naas Harbour ;■ but after all, when the barren and 
rugged nature of the country which I had just passed 
over is taken into consideration, the absence of a 
really good and safe harbour is hardly to be depre- 
cated. If, however, the Omenica gold mines should 
ever become valuable, I have no doubt that commu- 
nication between them and the coast may be even- 
tually established via, the Naas, in order to avoid 
the Skeena route, which, at best, is a bad one. 
There may yet be an easier way to reach the inte- 
rior. From the head of the east arm of Observa- 
tory Inlet the distance to the Naas River is not over 
twenty miles, and, by Indian reports, trail making 
between these two points would not be difficult. If 
such be the case, the difficulties of the Naas River 
would be avoided, and a road would cross that 
river at or near the Chean-howan, whence the Forks 
of Skeena could be reached in a distance of seventy- 
five miles, thus bringing Hazelton within ninety- 
five miles of the Pacific. This would involve the 
construction of twenty-five miles of road from Kit- 
vvancole Lake, in an east-south-east direction, to the 
Forks, opposite which it would debouch. The por- 
tion here alluded to has not yet been travelled by 
white men, but the Indians say there are no difficul- 
ties in the way of a pack trail. Hardly had the 
canoe disappeared behind the point, when the sky again 



142 Canada on the Pacific. 

became overcast, and at three, p.m. a steady fall of 
snow set in. As the night wore on, the weather 
became squally, and strong gusts from the north- 
ward occasioned us no small anxiety regarding the 
safety of the canoe, which had to pass several miles 
of open and perfectly iron-bound coast, where to land 
was impossible. We, however, consoled ourselves 
with the reflection that the men knew what they 
were about, and arriving at the conclusion that they 
had not gone beyond the last haven of refuge, we 
turned in for the night. At three, a.m., of the 22nd, 
the aneroids reached their lowest readings, while 
terrific squalls from the nor'ard shook the trees un- 
der which we had pitched our tent, fanning the 
dying embers of our fire into flames, and scattering 
the red-hot cinders in a manner dangerous to the 
safety of our cotton tent, which already bore the 
marks of many a stormy night's bivouac. At 8.45 
we started on our way across the portage to the 
head of Nasoga Inlet. The distance, as the crow 
flies, is only two miles, but owing to the depth and 
clogginess of the snow, saturated as it was after the 
late heavy rains, our progress was slow. We fol- 
lowed a little salmon stream for a mile, sometimes 
through a perfect network of willows, ascending and 
descending ravines of no mean depth, and when 
about half over we had to fell a couple of trees, upon 
which we crossed the brawling little creek. Finally, 
after three hours' walking of the most fatiguing kind 



Sea Lions. 143 

through a dense forest, we reached the other end, and 
descended to the beach at the head of the south in- 
let. The canoe had not yet made its appearance, so 
we prepared to camp ; an immense stranded red 
cedar, at least five feet in diameter, supplying us 
with firewood ready to hand. We accordingly 
pitched our tent just beyond the reach of the incom- 
ing tide, placing layers of brush on the wet beach, 
on which to sleep. While occupied with the details 
of camping, a couple of sea lions made their appear- 
ance close in shore. My Indians fired several inef- 
fectual shots at them, but the brutes dived simul- 
taneously with the flashes of the gun, and bobbing 
up again in some other unexpected spot, seemed to 
laugh at our futile attempts. At four, p.m., the 
canoe arrived; the men had been obliged to put 
ashore shortly after leaving the Salmon Cove, and 
had not left until very late, on account of the heavy 
sea running outside. They had been more successful 
then we, for they had bagged a large and fine seal, 
portions of which they soon had in the pot, and they 
devoured nearly the whole before morning. By 
nine, p.m., it had completely calmed down again ; the 
sky had also cleared, but the glass fell steadily until 
five, a.m., of the 23rd, when a light breeze sprung up 
from the nor'-nor'-east. At seven, a.m., we embark- 
ed, and paddled beyond the shelter of the high land 
we had crossed on the previous day, when hoisting 
the foresail, we sped down the inlet at the rate of 



144 Canada on the Pacific. 

six miles per hour. We soon found ourselves in a 
pretty heavy sea, over which our brave little craft 
careered in beautiful style. On emerging from the 
inlet we found a heavy swell setting in from the 
north, and continuing along the iron-bound coast we 
put ashore at noon in a sandy bay, to boil the kettle 
and warm ourselves, for the weather was chilly, the 
thermometer having stood at thirty-two degrees dur- 
ing the whole forenoon. 

Since we left the inlet, we had passed only two 
or three places where there was any possibility of 
landing, the shores being almost invariably steep 
and inaccessible, while mountains upon mountains 
were clustered together in endless variety of form. 
Occasionally, a deep inlet could be seen, until lost to 
view in the intricacies of the mountains on our left,, 
while numerous islands, of large extent, protected 
the inner channel we had taken from the effects of 
the angry swell outside, of which we occasionally 
caught a glimpse. For ruggedness, this coast cannot 
have its equal. To walk from the Naas to Fort 
Simpson (whither we were now bound), would be* a 
perfect impossibility, owing to the numerous inlets 
and bays, and the impassable character of the 
ground. The whole coast, down to Cape Caution, 
has much the same appearance, and is, if anything, 
worse. 

Starting again, we paddled westward for four 
miles through a narrow channel, the width of which 



A Critical Five Minutes. 145 

barely averaged half-a-mile. On the north side, we 
had a high mountainous island, and on our left, the 
rugged shores of the mainland, which we hugged 
very closely. Opening out Dundas Island, which 
lay sixteen miles to the west and south, we reached 
a rocky headland, at the base of which the seas were 
running fearfully high, the wind having veered to 
north, and now blowing a gale. Before going any 
further, a consultation was held as to the feasibility 
of attempting this short but hazardous piece of 
navigation, and, after a little while, it was decided 
to risk it. The foremast was accordingly stepped, 
the sail reefed, sheet hauled aft in readiness ; and 
after seeing everything clear (which my men did in 
a seamanlike manner), we paddled out for a short 
distance, in order to clear the eddies caused by the 
high island immediately to windward. All hands 
being now stationed in their respective places, in 
order to help with the paddles, we put the helm 
"up," our cedar "dug-out" obeying the impulse 
immediately, and away we bounded over the seeth- 
ing waters at a fearful rate. The captain and an- 
other steered and handled their large paddles with 
the most consummate skill, and the way in which 
the beautiful little vessel answered her helm, as the 
steersman laid her broadside on in the immense 
hollows, down which we every now and again dis- 
appeared, was wonderful. As we rose from the 
trough of the sea, off she paid again, assisted by the 
J 



146 Canada on the Pacific. 

united efforts of the paddlers, flying through the 
hissing waves like a thing of life, sometimes for an 
instant hesitating, as we rushed up the side of a 
solid wall of water, and again, gathering fresh im- 
petus, dashing madly down the next huge billow, 
the long projecting bow dipping under alarmingly. 
Five minutes of this exciting work took us again 
into comparatively smooth water, where we rested 
for a few minutes to light up the tobacco pipe, the 
inseparable companion of the voyageur. The canoe 
and its burthen now presented rather a curious 
appearance, the spray and water we had shipped 
speedily evaporating under the cheering influence 
of the sun, which had now made its appearance, 
left everything coated with a thick layer of sea 
salt. 

Three miles further, we sighted the Work Chan- 
nel, or " Canal," as it is sometimes called. This is 
an arm of the sea, which extends inland in a south- 
easterly direction for thirty-five miles. It has a 
width of from one to two miles, and terminates 
within three-quarters of a mile of the right or north 
bank of the Skeena, to which access can be had 
from this direction, by a short but rough portage of 
less than a mile in length. Still keeping on for a 
few miles, we rounded the north-west point of the 
Chimsean Peninsula; and running in between the 
mainland and Birnie Island, caught sight of the 
now welcome Fort, where the rough and disagree- 



Arrival at Fort Simpson. 147 

.able portion of our journey was to terminate. From 
Birnie Island to the Fort was but three miles, which 
we soon accomplished, and our tight little craft 
grounded on the muddy beach at the Fort precisely 
at four, p.m. Several miners, on their way to the 
Omenica, via the Naas, curious to find out who we 
were, stood on the beach where we landed, and in 
answer to their inquiry as to where we came from, 
they received the laconic answer, " Fort Garry." A 
stare of incredulity was returned, and I hastened on 
to Mr. Morrison's quarters, where the most cordial 
welcome awaited me from that gentleman and his 
wife, whose kindness and attention I shall never 
forget. My traps being brought up to the Fort, I 
was soon installed in the most comfortable of quar- 
ters, to await the arrival of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany's steamer "Otter," then due on her winter 
trading voyage. On the following morning, my 
crew received their pay, which they soon got rid of 
amongst the many inveterate gamblers of Fort 
Simpson, who not only fleeced them of the money 
received for their trip, but also gave them a sound 
thrashing, probably following out the principle 
sometimes adopted in more civilized communities of 
knocking a man down, and then kicking him for 
falling. 

I had been particularly struck with the great 
decrease in the depth of snow since leaving the 
Naas, and was very agreeably surprised to find, 



148 Canada on the Pacific. 

on my arrival here, perfectly bare ground ; but Mr. 
Morrison told me that here, at no time during the 
winter, does snow ever lie for any length of time, 
or to any great depth. 

Fort Simpson is in latitude 54 deg. 33min. north,, 
and longitude 130 deg. 24 min. west. The harbour 
is an excellent one, and of rather large extent. 
It is sheltered from the westerly winds by Fin- 
layson Island, and a large reef of outlying rocks. 
The north-west winds alone can affect it, and 
these only to a slight degree, while on every other 
hand it is completely land-locked. In the im- 
mediate vicinity, the land is not very high — = 
one or two hills, from eight hundred to fourteen 
hundred feet in height, in the rear of the Fort, being 
the most conspicuous points. All around Fort Simp- 
son harbour, the rare and wonderful occurrence of a 
sandy beach is to be met with, and, I believe, as far 
as Metlah Catlah, a mission station some eighteen 
or twenty miles down the coast, the same phenome- 
non is repeated at intervals. Those are, I believe, 
the only instances of actual beaches occurring in all 
the immense extent of iron-bound coast extending 
from the northern boundary line to Cape Caution, 
a distance of three hundred nautical miles. There 
is excellent anchorage within a cable's length of the 
beach, below the Fort, and vessels can lie there in 
perfect safety with seven fathoms of water, and good 
holding ground beneath them. Some forty -five 



American Military Post 149 

-miles north-west of Fort Simpson, is situated the 
late American military post of Tongas, now aban- 
doned by the troops, whose quarters have been 
removed to Sitka, the capital of that valuable acqui- 
sition of the United States, Alaska. Although 
deserted by the military, the forsaken wooden 
shanties of Fort Tongas are still watched over by a 
civil functionary, and the stars and stripes yet wave 
above the door of the solitary individual on whom 
devolve the not very onerous duties of custom-house 
officer. 

In front of Fort Simpson there is an excellent 
hard and uniform beach, where the American 
steamer, which used to ply between Portland (Ore- 
gon) and Sitka, has been laid up for repairs. The 
Fort itself belongs to the Hudson's Bay Company, 
and is built in the form of a quadrangle, flanked at 
each corner by wooden towers of insignificant pre- 
tensions. The dwelling-houses, stores and offices of 
the Company are inside ; and a double entrance- 
gate, studded with iron, completely cuts off commu- 
nication with the Indians who live in the immediate 
neighbourhood. The Indian population here num- 
bers about five hundred souls. Some hundred or 
more houses of various sizes, but all built upon the 
same principle, afford shelter to the lazy inhabitants 
of this village, who, unlike the inland Indians, are 
never pushed to extremities for the want of food ; 
the Pacific, which washes the very thresholds of 



150 Canada on the Pacific. 

their dwellings, affording a never-failing supply of 
salmon and halibut, besides other fish ; while the 
adjoining beaches are covered with shell-fish, such 
as clams, cockles and mussels, in endless profusion. 
The moral character of the Chimsean Indian is . 
decidedly low. In their domestic relations, they are 
indifferent; and I think it may be said of them 
generally, that the marriage tie is knotted with a 
view to being slipped with facility. Attempts have 
been made to Christianize these Coast savages, but 
have not been crowned with success, a Christian 
Indian being usually looked upon with suspicion by 
the knowing ones among the coast traders. Eighteen 
or twenty miles from Fort Simpson, a Mr. Duncan, 
a missionary of the English Church, has established 
a station for the promulgation of the gospel among 
the Chimseans; but whether or not his efforts have 
met with the success they deserve, this deponent 
knoweth not. According to the best authority, the 
total population of the Chimsean Peninsula is about 
fifteen hundred ; but pulmonary and other complaints 
are rapidly reducing the number. 

The connoisseur in ship-building might here in- 
dulge his fancy to his heart's content ; for about the 
beach and houses, innumerable cedar canoes, of every 
size, are to be seen, every Indian being generally the 
owner of one, if not more, of these light and graceful 
craft. The finest and best canoes are brought from 
the Queen Charlotte Islands, where the yellow cedar 



Canoe Building. 151 

grows to a great size. The Hyders, as the Indians 
inhabiting those islands are called, excel in many 
mechanical arts. They carve most beautifully, and 
some of the specimens of canoe-building cannot be 
surpassed in graceful appearance, and capabilities 
for speed. The Chimsean Indians usually purchase 
those large canoes from the Hyders, who bring them 
over from their insular home in the early part of 
the summer, during the prevalence of fine weather. 
They are sometimes, however, overtaken by sudden 
storms during the passage to the mainland, when 
they generally display the greatest skill in handling 
their comparatively tiny craft. In the art of work- 
ing such metals as gold, silver and copper into a 
variety of ornamental articles, they exhibit as much 
ingenuity and skill as are met with in cities among 
regularly-trained artizans — some specimens of brace- 
lets, rings, and other articles, which I saw at Fort 
Simpson, being really well done. In physique, the 
Hyders are superior to the Indians of the mainland, 
and in features they bear no slight resemblance 
to the Japanese, whose descendants they probably 
are. 

There is little land about Fort Simpson available 
for culture ; but the Hudson's Bay Company grow 
a few vegetables, and, from all accounts, the climate 
is not too severe, nor are the seasons too short for 
the raising of cereals. 



CHAPTER XL 

FORT SIMPSON TO NANAIMO. 



On board the " Otter"— A "played-ont" Boiler— Rose Spit- 
Graham Island — Masset Harbour — Clams — Mineral Wealth — 
A N or'-Easter — Dundas Island — Fort Simpson again — Porcher 
Island — Arthur Channel — Seaforth — Bella Bella — Dean Chan- 
nel — Bella Coula — The Old Route to Fraser River — Perilous 
Anchorage — King Island — Safety Cove — Queen Charlotte 
Sound — Beaver Harbour — Description of Scenery — Discovery 
Passage — Alberni Canal — The Canada Pacific Route — Cape 
Mudge — Port Augusta — Off Nanaimo. 

N THE morning of the 31st January, while 




still in bed, I was agreeably surprised to hear 
the familiar sound of a steam- whistle; and on getting 
up, the waiting-man informed me that the long- 
looked-for " Otter " had at length made her appear- 
ance, and had just dropped anchor in front of the Fort. 
Presently, Captain Lewis, her commander, came 
ashore, and informed us that, as soon as the cargo 
for this place was landed, he would run over to 
Masset harbour, on the northern island of the Queen 
Charlotte group. That evening, after bidding fare- 
well to Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, I embarked at eight 



A " Played-out" Boiler. 153 

o'clock, and making my way to the snug cabin of 
the " Otter, found a berth ready for my use. The 
next morning, at five o'clock, the rattling of the 
chain cable, which was soon followed by the peculiar 
sound of the screw, announced our departure from 
Fort Simpson. At eight bells, when off the north 
-end of Dundas Island, the steward announced break- 
fast, to which Captain Lewis, the chief engineer, 
and I, sat down. On questioning Mr. Elliot, the 
engineer, regarding our slow rate of speed, he in- 
formed me that the boiler now in use had been in 
the "Otter" for the last twenty years, and was 
about " played out," so much so, that fourteen lbs. 
of steam was the maximum allowed, adding that a 
slight explosion might be expected at any time. 
The " Otter " was a sound, staunch oak vessel of 
200 tons, built in England, and brought out under 
canvas, via Cape Horn. Her captain was a fine old 
gentleman, who could boast of an almost perfect 
knowledge of the Pacific coast, from Puget Sound to 
Sitka. Captain Lewis had the supervision of all the 
Hudson's Bay Company's posts on the coast, from 
Victoria upwards, and between that and the navi- 
gation of the " Otter " his time was pretty well 
occupied. We had a splendid day for our voyage, 
the weather being clear, with a light air from the 
north-east, which we took advantage of by setting 
the foresail and mainsail. With the exception of a 
slight ground swell, the sea was quite calm, while 



154 Canada on the Pacific. 

the air, although slightly frosty, was most exhilarat- 
ing. The thermometer stood at 32 deg. Fahrenheit 
until ten, a.m., when it rose as the wind veered to 
the south-west, the barometer then beginning to 
fall. At one o'clock we were off the Rose Spit, a 
very dangerous sand stretching far out from the 
north-eastern extremity of Graham Island, the low 
wooded shores of which were just beginning to show 
in the hazy distance. The contrast in the appear- 
ance of the mainland and Graham Island was very 
striking. Astern, and forty miles distant, the cold, 
bleak and serrated contour of the coast range could 
be traced from north to south, presenting a most 
uninviting appearance, while the still more dreary- 
looking mountains of Alaska intercepted the north- 
ern horizon. At three, p.m., we neared the entrance 
to Masset Harbour, and were soon surrounded by 
numerous canoes, which came out to meet us. 
Twenty minutes later, the anchor was let go, 
abreast of the Indian village, and within two hun- 
dred yards of the shore; the passage from Fort 
Simpson having occupied exactly ten hours, 

Masset being a very bad and unsafe anchorage, 
Captain Lewis at once set to work discharging 
goods for the use of the Hudson's Bay post here,, 
and taking in, in return, sundry kegs of dog fish 
oil , skins of the fur seal, and other furs. The har- 
bour here is merely an arm of the sea, about a mile 
in width, running into the interior of the island for 



M asset Harbour. 155 

fifteen or twentv miles. Unlike the inlets on the 
mainland, the banks of this one are very low ; and 
the tide rushing up and down with great velocity, 
there is sometimes created, with wind from the 
opposite direction, a very nasty and confused sea, 
dangerous to vessels lying at anchor. It was for 
this reason that Captain Lewis was desirous of get- 
ting away from this rather unsafe place, and every 
exertion was accordingly made to hasten our 
departure. On Sunday, while the steamers crew and 
a gang of Hyders were loading up, in anticipation 
of bad weather, the Captain and I went ashore, to 
take a stroll through the village, and along the 
beautiful beach, which extends for many miles along 
the northern shore of the island. The Indian 
ranches here were exactly similar in appearance to 
those on the mainland, and were ornamented, like 
them, with carvings in wood. Passing east of the 
village, we entered a forest of fine large timber, and, 
continuing through it, reached the gravel beach 
beyond. Traces of a recent storm were yet visible 
in the huge piles of clams lately thrown up by the 
surf, and now covering the beach for miles. 

Although now in the very heart of winter, the 
weather was comparatively mild, the thermometer 
ranging from 36 deg. to 40 deg. Fahrenheit, neither 
were there more than three inches of snow in the 
sheltered places, while the rare occurrence of ice was 
an additional proof of the mildness of the climate. 



156 Canada on the Pacific. 

On the more southern islands of the group, the sea- 
sons are even milder ; but the country is of a moun- 
tainous nature, abounding in mineral wealth — rich 
and vast deposits of anthracite coal, veins of copper, 
and. very recently, gold, having been worked to 
advantage. Yellow cedar and pine are found in 
large quantities ; on the other hand, the soil in many 
places is well adapted for agriculture. This group 
of islands is certainly rich in undeveloped wealth, 
and will at some future day form a very important 
portion of the British possessions on the Pacific. 

Early on the morning of the 4th, a heavy north- 
east gale, accompanied by rain and snow, set in, 
preventing our departure for the Skeena, whither 
we were now bound. We, therefore, remained at 
anchor all day; but the next morning, at two 
o'clock, steamed out of Masset Harbour. For three 
hours we had the advantage of a smooth sea, until 
just before daylight, when, emerging from the shel- 
ter of the island, we met the full force of a stiff 
south-easter, which kicked up a tremendous sea, and 
caused the " Otter" to pitch and roll in fine style- 
Coming on deck as the first faint streaks of dawn 
were beginning to pierce the gloomy clouds which 
now covered the entire firmament, a strange and 
novel scene met my gaze. The little " Otter" was 
staggering along, close hauled by the wind, under 
double-reefed fore and mainsails, now and again 
burying her bows beneath the confused sea, which 



Port Simpson again. 157 

the conflicting efforts of an ebb tide and southerly 
gale had now raised. Captain Lewis, who was ex- 
ecuting a sort of double-shuffle on the slippery deck, 
in answer to my inquiry as to when we should 
reach the Skeena, shook his head : — " No Skeena 
for us this day ! I'm afraid we shall have to bear 
up for Fort Simpson yet," said he, casting a critical 
look around the troubled expanse of waters ; " this 
beggarly wind is hauling more to the eastward, and 
we can't fetch the passage." In fact, we were now 
heading north-east by north, a course which, had 
we been making no lee-way, would have taken us 
to the yet unexplored passage between North and 
Middle Dundas Islands. As it was, the set of the 
current was driving us fast to the northward, and 
we were finally, and with great reluctance, com- 
pelled to bear away for the passage between Zayas 
Island and the North Dundas. Easing off the sheets 
a little, we now ran before the troubled seas, and 
soon got into the smooth water under the lee of 
Dundas Island. At noon we crossed the head of 
Chatham Sound, and brought up, in ten fathoms, 
opposite the Fort in Port Simpson Harbour, at two, 
p.m. During all this time the barometer was rapidly 
going down ; and shortly after making all snug, the 
gale increased in violence ; terrific squalls, accom- 
panied by sleet and rain, swept down the rising 
ground behind the Fort, causing the " Otter " to 
careen, and twisting her round like a feather. Our 



158 Canada on the Pacific. 

holding ground was good, however, and with forty- 
fathoms of chain out, we took it coolly. Morrison 
soon came on board, when we " spliced the main 
brace," and wished success to the ill-fated " George 
Wright," then out, to the northward, on her last 
and disastrous voyage to Sitka. This unfortunate 
vessel must have foundered or gone ashore during 
this very gale, which had not yet attained its height. 
On the morning of the 5th, the barometer stood at 
28 '68 inches, and the storm still continued. By- 
and-by the wind veered by south and west, causing 
a rise in the mercury, and giving us hopes of a 
speedy cessation of bad weather. It was not, how- 
ever, until the morning of the 6th that we again 
got up steam, and made a fresh attempt to continue 
our voyage. 

At six, a.m., steam being up, we left Port Simpson ; 
and running between Finlayson Island and the 
mainland, steamed down Chatham Sound, passing 
Metlah-Catlah at 9.15, and reaching Willa-Claugh 
at eleven o'clock, where we took on board some 
passengers and freight — among the former the Rev. 
M. Tomlinson, of the Naas, then on his way to Vic- 
toria. It had now calmed down, but the surround- 
ing high land was completely enveloped in mist, 
which quite cut off the view of the Skeena, close to 
which we then were. Willa-Claugh consists of one 
or two wooden shanties, jammed up against a dark 
precipitous mountain, and presents a most forlorn 



Arthur Channel. 159 

appearance. It is situated on the north side of the 
North Skeena Passage, and about twenty miles from 
Port Essington. The land on every side is steep, 
and rises in places to a height of two or three thou- 
sand feet above the water, offering no level beaches, 
while the late rains, having completely washed away 
all traces of snow from the green timber, invested 
the dark mountains with a yet gloomier hue. Six 
or seven miles to the south-west lay the huge black 
mass of Porcher Island, which interposed its rugged 
wooded peaks between us and the ocean outside. 
Where we now lay, with forty fathoms of dark-blue 
water beneath us, the surface was as smooth as that 
of an inland lake, and the now placid waters of the 
Pacific kissed the dark frowning rocks at the base 
of Tree Point, without a murmur of dissent. 

At two, p.m., having taken on board all our pas- 
sengers and freight, including the clergyman and a 
far-hunting Jew from Victoria, who was returning 
home with a few bales of deerskins and some fur 
seals, we steamed slowly down Arthur Channel, 
sighting the Ogden passage for a few minutes, and 
then shaped a mid-channel course down the Grenville 
Canal, a passage between the mainland and Pitt Is- 
land, fifty miles long, and from half-a-mile to a mile and 
a-half in width. On each side of this deep arm of the 
sea, the mountains rose, sometimes sheer to a height 
of two thousand feet, and, in some instances, reaching 
•an altitude of nearly four thousand feet above the 



160 Canada on the Pacific. 

water ; their dark sides shrouded in an almost pal- 
pable mist, which hung like a pall over them, and 
wet our decks like rain. About eleven, p.m. we 
passed the entrance to the Douglas Channel, at the 
upper end of which the Kitimat River enters the 
Pacific. The dawn of day met us as we began to feel 
the influence of the ocean swell rolling in through 
Milbank Sound, which we crossed by 8.40, a.m, and 
running down the Seaforth Channel, dropped anchor 
in the beautiful little harbour of Bellabella precisely 
at eleven o'clock. Here we took an ox on board, and 
after an interchange of commodities with the man in 
charge of the Hudson's Bay Company's post, were 
again under weigh at forty minutes past twelve, a.m.. 
en route for Bella Coula, via the Gunboat Passage. 
Ten miles of very intricate navigation through a 
channel across which, in some places, one might have 
thrown a stone, brought us into Dean Channel, an- 
other deep inlet varying in width from three quar- 
ters of a mile to two miles, and walled in on either 
hand by huge mountains, the summits of which 
were lost to view in the dense mists above. On 
entering this fiord, we were met by a furious wind, 
which swept down through the Cascade Range with 
sufficient force to almost arrest our progress, but, as 
we had the advantage of smooth water, the " Otter " 
made headway, and at seven o'clock we rounded the 
north end of King Island, bringing up in twenty 
fathoms abreast of Bella Coula River at 9.45 p.m. 



Bella Coula. 161 

The Hudson Bay Company have here a small post, 
where a trifling trade is carried on with the In- 
dians. The post of Bella Coula is situated at the 
furthest extremity of the Bentinck North Arm, and 
is about fifty-five miles from the south end of King's 
Island. It may be fairly said to lie within the Cas- 
cade Range of mountains, which tower above it on 
three sides. The level and low bottom on which 
the post is built extends far inland between high 
mountains, and through it flows the shallow little 
Bella Coula River, which is navigable for canoes a 
long distance up. In former years this was the 
route to the Frazer River, and pack animals were 
wont to perform the distance from the salt water 
to Alexandria in ten days. For some reason this 
route has been condemned, but from the accounts 
given by parties familiar with it, I should think 
there would be no great difficulty in constructing a 
road. As an eligiblepoint for arailroad terminus, Bella 
Coula, however, labours under two serious disadvan- 
tages which are insuperably objectionable. During 
the early part of summer, the snows from the sur- 
rounding mountains flood the river, which some- 
times overflows its banks, inundating the flat on 
either side to a depth of four or five feet. The 
second objection is that the anchorage is far from 
being good. Almost unfathomable depth of water, 
in the immediate proximity of a flat which dries in 
great part at low tide, renders the anchorage difficult 
K 



162 Canada on the Pacific. 

and insecure. So sudden does the water deepen off 
this shoal, which is the result of the accumulated 
silt of ages, that a small vessel may have her anchor 
down in twenty-five or thirty fathoms, and still 
touch the mud-bank astern. Ours was a case in* 
point, for, at low water, I could almost have jumped 
off the " Otter's " taffrail to the mud-bank below, 
while a stone's throw from the bow there were pro- 
bably ninety fathoms. Another objection to the 
place is the limited amount of space, the flat not 
being over a mile in width. On the other hand a sail- 
ing ship might pass weeks at the entrance to Fitz- 
hugh Sound, while waiting for a slant of favourable 
wind to run up ; for to beat against the terrific force 
of the winter storms which blow up and down these 
narrow fiords, with almost irresistible violence, would 
be simply- impossible. 

We remained here for twenty-two hours, during 
which interval a quantity of firewood and some very 
inferior furs were shipped. At half-past seven 
o'clock on the evening of the 8th the anchor was 
again weighed, and we ran down the inlet, bound 
for Fort Rupert, the most northern of the Hudson 
Bay Company's forts on the Island of Vancouver. 
We had in tow a large canoe filled with a dirtier lot 
of Indians than even the filthy wretches of Kitwun- 
cole. They were bound for some village down the 
coast, and Captain Lewis had kindly proffered them 
a tow rope as far as our respective routes coincided. 



Beaver Harbour, 163 

-At 9.50 p.m. the north-east end of King Island was 
passed, and by three o'clock on the following morn- 
ing its southern extremity had vanished in the mists 
astern. Shortly before breakfast we passed Safety 
Cove, and at ten o'clock, Cape Caution was distant 
six miles, and bore east by south. We now set all 
our available canvas, and "flattening" everything aft, 
shaped a course for Cape James, the north-eastern 
part of Hope Island. We were now crossing Queen 
Charlotte Sound, which fully maintained its reputa- 
tion for bad weather, a stiff south-easter, laden with 
moisture, causing quite a heavy sea, and, in the case 
of some of the passengers, an unpleasant feeling in 
the epigastric region, as the cadaverous hue of their 
countenances betrayed. At noon, we threaded the 
intricate Shadwell Passage, where some years ago 
an American man-of-war was lost, and, at a quarter 
to one o'clock, were heading east-half-north down 
Goletas Channel, bringing up in Beaver Harbour, at 
3.45 p.m., opposite, and within a cable length of 
Fort Rupert. 

The climate and general appearance of the land 
had undergone a decided change since crossing 
Queen Charlotte Sound. With the rushed moun- 
tains of the mainland, we had left the snows and 
frosts of winter, and seemed now to be getting into 
another climate, as we gaily steamed down the beautiful 
waters which wash the eastern margin of Yancouver 
Island. The vast scale upon which nature has built up 



164 Canada on the Pacific. 

the repellent shores of the mainland, now left to the 
north, was changed for one less pretentious but of 
far more pleasing aspect. The narrow passage be- 
tween Hope and Galiano Islands had the appearance 
of the beautiful scenery of the Thousand Islands of 
the St. Lawrence, while the shores of Vancouver, 
which we now had on our starboard hand, although 
rocky, wore an agreeable aspect, and contrasted most 
favourably with the recollections of the gloomy 
scenes through which we had lately passed. Not a 
particle of snow was now to be seen, and the air had 
a balmy feeling very exhilirating to the spirits. 

After delivering some cargo, and receiving the 
returns of Fort Rupert, we continued on, stopping for 
a few minutes in Alert Bay, where we picked up a 
passenger. The weather had now become rather 
moist, and towards the morning a steady rain set in. 
We kept on, however, in spite of the darkness, 
entering Johnston's Straits at ten, p.m. This arm of 
the sea has a width of from three-quarters of a mile 
to a mile and a-half, and on the Vancouver Island 
side there are some high mountain ranges which rise 
to an altitude of four and five thousand feet. At 8* 
a.m., on the morning of the 10th, we entered Dis- 
covery Passage, passing through the Seymour Nar- 
rows at half-past nine. When running through 
this, the narrowest passage between Vancouver Is- 
land and the numerous islands which lie between 
it and the mainland of British Columbia, we had. 



Alberni Canal. 165 

•the advantage of perfectly smooth water, the tide 
being on the turn, and there being little or no wind • 
but there are times, especially when tide and wind 
oppose each other, when a very heavy sea renders boat- 
ing dangerous. The distance between Maud Island 
on the east and Wilfred Point on the Vancouver 
side of the Narrows, is little more than four cable 
lengths, and the reader may imagine with what 
force the tides rush through this contracted space. 
About two and a-half cable lengths from Maud Is- 
land, or say two-thirds of the way across, there is a 
sunken rock called " The Ripple," which has three 
fathoms and a-half of water over it at low tide. It 
is across this narrow strait that the railroad from the 
mainland must be taken, if the destiny of Vancouver 
Island be ever joined continuously with that of the 
continental portion of the Dominion. In the event 
of the Alberni Canal (to which access is had through 
Barclay Sound on the west coast of the island) being 
chosen for the terminus of the road — a very unlikely 
selection — a line about eighty miles in length would 
be required from the Seymour Narrows to that 
point. But as Victoria will, in all probability, be 
the terminal point on the Pacific, there will be need- 
ed about one hundred and sixty miles of railway in 
order to connect that rising little town with the 
great bridge at the Narrows — for a great and serious 
undertaking it will be to build a bridge sufficiently 
-strong to answer the purpose, on account of the 



166 Canada on the Pacific. 

depth of water, and the strong tides which rush up 
and down at a rate ranging from five to eight 
knots per hour. Eight hundred and seventy-five 
yards of such rapid water, in depth from ten to forty 
fathoms, with, in all that distance, but one resting 
place, twenty-one feet below* the surface at low 
water, will be no slight difficulty to overcome. The 
distance between the Seymour Narrows and the 
mainland, on the western shore of Bute Inlet, is pro- 
bably twenty-five miles, and between those points 
several bridges will be needed tc connect them, 
thence, by following the steep and rocky shores of 
the Bute Inlet for a distance of about fifty miles, 
the mouth of the Homalco River, situated at the 
head of the inlet, will be reached: From this very 
imperfect description of that portion of the Canada 
Pacific Road, included between the mouth of the 
Homalco River, and the shores of Vancouver Island*, 
a distance of, say seventy-five miles, the reader may 
infer that the expense of road construction will be 
very great, perhaps greater than the advantages to 
be derived from the immediate connection with 
Vancouver Island might warrant ; however, the gen- 
tlemen who represent Vancouver Island in the Par- 
liament of the Dominion, will be enabled to do their 
"mileage" without breaks, and with a certain 
amount of comfort, which is an advantage not to 
be overlooked. 

At ten o'clock we met the full force of the flood 



Port Augusta. 167 

tide, which, aided by a rather strong south-east 
breeze suddenly sprung up, considerably retarded 
our progress. At one o'clock we were abreast of 
Cape Mudge, eleven miles below the Narrows ; but 
the captain, finding we could make nothing of it, 
decided to run back to the shelter of Duncan Bay, 
where we remained until two o'clock the following 
morning. We then got under weigh, and steamed 
to Comox, dropping our anchor in Port Augusta at 
seven a.m. 

This is a beautiful harbour, and the gently rising 
ground near the beach looked very inviting, lighted 
up, as it was, by the bright February sun, which 
gilded the snowy summits of the Beaufort range 
of mountains, distant ten miles. The weather 
was also perfectly delightful, the morning being 
like those we have on the Ottawa towards the 
close of April. At seven, a.m., the thermometer 
stood at 48 deg. in the shade ; and the change from 
the almost Arctic appearance of the coast north of 
Queen Charlotte Sound, to the smiling, spring-like 
landscape now seen from the " Otters " deck, was 
difficult to realize. After taking in some freight, 
on account of the Hudson's Bay Company, we 
weighed once more for Nanaimo, the Newcastle of 
Vancouver Island; at ten, a.m., passing through 
Bayne's Sound, and keeping Denman's Island on the 
port hand. When a few miles past the latter, we 
sighted Mount Baker (height 10,700 feet), which 



168 Canada on the Pacific. 

bore about due east magnetic, and was then distant 
one hundred and twenty geographical miles. Off 
Qualicum River we began to feel the influence of 
the balmy western breeze from the Pacific, which 
enabled us to make sail. This was one of the most 
delightful afternoons imaginable. The Canadian 
reader will be, doubtless, surprised when I say that 
we lolled away an hour or two upon the " Otter's " 
deck (this was the 11th February), basking in the 
bright sun, and fanned by the most delicious of 
breezes. It was like running down the trades, and 
brought back recollections of former voyages in the 
sunny seas of the southern hemisphere. The ap- 
pearance of the land, within three miles of which 
we were now running, was very pretty, and devoid 
of ruggedness. 





CHAPTER XIL 

GEOLOGY OF VANCOUVER ISLAND. 

kUST AS the sun was sinking behind the hills, 
in the rear of Nanaimo, we entered that 
harbour, and, for the first time during the voyage, 
ranged up alongside a substantial wharf, and imme- 
diately under the Coal Company's derrick. The " Sir 
James Douglas" was here, and a large American 
barque lay beneath a coal "shoot," taking in a cargo 
of that valuable commodity for San Francisco. The 
Coal Company delivers the mineral for $5 and $5.50 
per ton ; and, I believe, it sells in the San Francisco 
market at $12 — thus leaving a large margin of pro- 
fit to the carriers. 

Vancouver Island has large deposits of excellent 
>coal, which is found in many places from Fort 
Rupert down to Nanaimo, which will doubtless, ere 
long, prove a source of great wealth to the island. 
As a minute description of the geological character 
of Vancouver Island may be read with interest, I 



170 C the Pac[1ic. 

e an extract from Dr. Hector's Report upon that 
subject Speaking of his visit to Xanaimo, the 
Doctor says . — 

"At this (da aJ has been worked by the Hud- 

Bay Company since 1854, and the total output 
up bo January, I860, has been about twelve thou- 
i tons. Through the kindness of Mr. Xichol. 
the gentleman in charge of the works, and I 
Pearce, of the Land Office, I am able to show a plan 
of the workings, and also a map of the neighbour- 
hood, in which I have inserted my own observations 
: the ee : I g v. At the time of mv visit there were 
three pits in operation, giving employment to thirty 
miners and a number of labourers. The former are 
principally Scotch and Staffordshire men, who have 
been brought out to the country at the Huds 

mpany's expense ; but the .greater number of 
the latter are Indians, small fcril - : whom come 
and settle at the mines, and work for a short time, 
till they tire of the uncongenial life, when they 
r to make room for another band The irregu- 
lar supply of labour, from this cause, adds greath 
the uncertainty and expense of the workings. When 
working in the best aearag :.: Xanaimo, a miner can 
at at two and a-half tons per day. The shipment 
from Xanaimo in the month of January, 1860, was 
thousand tons, the trade having at that time 
been suddenly extended by the demand consequent 
upon the establishment of gas-works at Portland. 



Geology of Vancouver Island. 171 

Oregon, and several other places. This extension 
of the market was supplied from a large stock that 
was lying on hand at the time ; but, from having 
been exposed to the action of the weather for many 
years, it was of very inferior quality. In spite of 
this, however, I understand that the demand has 
continued steady throughout last year, and that the 
coal has been much used in California for making 
gas, instead of that brought from the Eastern States, 
as heretofore. 

" Coal from the same description of strata has 
been also worked to some degree on the opposite 
side of the Gulf of Georgia, at Billingham Bay, and 
also at Cooze Bay, in WashiDgton territory. Al- 
though it has been found in many other localities 
along the coast, as I shall mention, after describing 
the formation, these are the only places where it 
has been worked to some extent. The whole for- 
mation associated with the lignite or coal beds is 
very extensively developed along the Pacific coast, 
and has generally been considered as of tertiary age, 
excepting from the first accounts sent home, which, 
as there were no fossils, induced geologists to con- 
sider them as carboniferous. Some fossils trans- 
mitted to the Jermyn street Museum, many years 
ago, were first rightly recognized by the late Pro- 
fessor E. Forbes as being cretaceous ; but the loca- 
lities were undescribed, and, in the absence of 



172 Canada on the Pacific. 

sections, it was impossible to deduce anything from 
them regarding the age of the coal beds. 

" The observations I have now to offer respecting 
these strata will, I believe, put their age beyond 
doubt as cretaceous ; but rightly to understand the 
value to be attached to them requires me to give, 
first, a sketch of the physical features of the dis- 
trict. 

" The southern part of Vancouver Island, where 
the town of Victoria is built, is composed of meta- 
morphic rocks, with occasional beds of crystalline 
limestone. This district, and also the central por- 
tion of the island, is, as may be expected from the 
formation, everywhere hilly, and even mountainous, 
with only limited patches of fertile soil in the val- 
leys. However, the scanty soil on the rocky hills 
supports a fine growth of timber, so that they are 
almost invariably wooded to their summits. In the 
immediate neighbourhood of Victoria there is, 
nevertheless, a good deal of fine open land, dotted 
with small oak trees. On passing to the north, 
through the Canal de Nuro, the islands of the archi- 
pelago, between Vancouver Island and the mainland, 
are composed of strata of sandstone and conglome- 
rate, which form lofty cliffs, overhanging intricate 
but beautiful inlets. The junction between these 
two formations was not observed ; but I think it is 
south of San Juan Island, and from thence across to 
Vancouver Island by Sandwich Point, and thence 



Geology of Vancouver Island. 173- 

northwards a little way back from the coast, leaving 
a naixow slip of fine land. 

" These sandstone and conglomerate strata have a 
uniform strike of from N.N.W. and S.S.E., and in 
passing along the shore of Saluma Island they were 
observed to form several well-marked synclinal 
troughs, till, on passing through the Plumper Pass, 
they dip gently to the N.E., under the waters of the 
Gulf of Georgia. Section No. 1 (on the map) merely 
shows the plications of the strata as observed on 
passing along the shore once in a canoe, and again 
in a steamer, — the nature of the beds not being 
ascertained beyond the general fact that they are 
thick-bedded sandstone and conglomerates, with 
sometimes strata of clay shale. The sandstones are 
much acted on by the weather, and at the water- 
line the sea has generally worn in them caves and 
hollows. The conglomerates form the highest beds 
of the series, and are of immense thickness. 

" After passing the Plumper Pass, in proceeding 
north through Trincomalee Channel, Galiano Island, 
to the west, presents cliffs about eight hundred feet 
high of the sandstone and conglomerate strata, with 
a gentle dip to the east ; sometimes spits or low pro- 
montories of the strata run parallel with the coast, 
enclosing narrow bays. The west side of the chan- 
nel, on Salt Spring Island, is a low shelving coast, 
heavily timbered to the waters edge, and exposing 
outcrops of grey and blue clay shales, which dip to 



174 Canada on the Pacific. 

the east. The portion of this island which is occu- 
pied by these shales is the finest land for settlement 
I have seen on the coast ; but the southern part is 
mountainous, rising to the height of 2,300 feet. It 
is on the north part of Salt Spring Island that the 
saline springs are situated, from which it gets its 
name. They seem to escape from the shales, and 
occur in spots clear from timber, and covered with 
green moist vegetation, abounding in saliferous 
plants. Round the orifices from which the brine 
escapes there have formed conical mounds of granu- 
ar calcareous scinter, stained with iron; but in 
summer there is said to be an abundant deposit of 
pure white salt. 

u North of Salt Spring Island the strata preserve 
the same strike and general appearance all the 
way to Nanaimo, the island forming long spits of 
sandstone and conglomerate, with precipitous shores 
to the west. Just below the rapids the shales were 
again noticed resting on the sandstone, and both 
dipping to the west. At very low tide a thick 
seam of lignite is exposed at this point and on the 
island opposite, and to the east I found a thin seam 
in the sandstones at Nanaimo. The sandstone coun- 
try occupies a broader belt along the shore of Van- 
couver Island than further to the south, but immedi- 
ately to the north the strike changes to nearly east 
and west on Newcastle Island, and on Fossil Point 
the lowest beds were seen to rest on igneous rocks, 



Geology of Vancouver Island. 175 

-which continued to occupy the coast for the few- 
miles I went further to the north. At the head of 
the Gulf of Georgia the sandstones are again said to 
form the islands that crowd the narrow channel which 
separates Vancouver Island from the mainland, and 
also a great extent of both shores. From Comox to 
Valdez Inlet, which is situated in this locality, some 
of the fossils I have were procured by Mr. McKay 
of the Hudson Bay Company. Also at the extreme 
north of the island, at Fort Rupert, Mr. Lord, of the 
Boundary Commission, observed the sandstones and 
thick beds of lignite dipping out to sea. 

u At many points along the eastern shore of the 
Gulf of Georgia these strata have been detected with 
the associated lignite beds. North of Howse Sound 
the mountains closely hug the sea coast, but south 
of that they retire along the north shore of Burrard's 
Inlet to the S.E., so as to be sixty miles inland at 
where the boundary meets them, thus leaving a 
very heavily timbered tract, which forms the only 
level country in British Columbia east of the Cas- 
cade range. Most of this district is covered by shingle 
terraces and other superficial deposits which obscure 
the underlying strata, but at Burrard's Inlet, eight 
miles north of the entrance to Fraser River, lignite 
and sandstones containing fossil leaves have been 
sent home by H.M.S. " Plumper." Also on Fraser 
River, near Fort Langley, and on its tributary, Pitt 
River, the lignite has been observed, and again at 



176 Canada on the Pacific. 

Bellingbam Bay, south of the boundary line, so that 
it is probable that they underlie the greater part of the 
region. 

"Three hundred yards from the shore, in the 
channel that passes between Newcastle Island and the 
Fossil Point, is a row of islands composed of very 
fine conglomerate, that might be termed "gravel 
stone," in beds that dip to the S.S.E. at fifteen 
degrees, these beds contain small fragments of 
carbonized wood. 

" A quarter of a mile further on, in the direction 
of the dip, on the north end of Newcastle Island, 
there are high cliffs of sandstone which preserve the 
same direction. They seem to be rather more dis- 
turbed than the strata that form the islands in the 
channel, but this appearance is exaggerated by the 
great amount of false bedding. The strata of sand- 
stone continue to preserve the same direction of dip 
all along the coast of Newcastle Island, but gradually 
becoming more horizontal towards the southern 
extremity. At Exit Channel occur the seams of coal, 
the lowest of which has been worked to a consider- 
able extent, while the existence of the other has only 
been found by boring. The outcrop of these two 
Seams has been ascertained on the east shore of the 
island, where they have the same character and 
relative position, thus showing that they are continu- 
ous to that extent. The lowest bed of lignite is 
called the Newcastle seam, and is worked by levels 



Geology of Vancouver Island. 177 

driven into the outcrop as it rises with the high 
bank from the shore. The coal or lignite is six feet 
thick, with a floor of sandstone, and the roof of a 
very tough conglomerate of very small pebbles. The 
strata have a dip of twenty degrees, so that the 
method employed succeeds well for taking out small 
quantities. 

(t This mine was not being worked when I visited 
it, but there were large heaps of the coal waiting for a 
market, that had been lying there for some years, 
so that I could judge the effect of the weather on it 
with great facility. The surface was turned to a 
rusty brown, and the masses showed a tendency to 
break up with a slaty fracture : otherwise the expo- 
sure had worked but little change. 

" Along the shore of the island, to the south, the 
strata of argillaceous sandstone are seen to dip 
steadily in the same direction, but with less and less 
inclination, till at the southern extremity they are 
almost horizontal. On Douglas Island there is said to 
be another seam of coal from the shale along with 
which the fossil leaves are generally procured. I 
had not an opportunity of visiting it, however, my- 
self. On the coast of Nanaimo Harbour, the strike 
of the strata is quite different, but yet they preserve 
the same character and sequence, Exit Channel seem- 
ing to mark a great fault. The little peninsula on 
which the Hudson Bay Company's establishment 
stands, and where the coal was first discovered, is 
L 



178 Canada on the Pacific. 

also another dislocated portion of the strata, as may- 
be seen by reference to the map. 

"At Nanaiino,as on Newcastle Island, there are two 
seams, the "Newcastle" and the "Douglas," the 
first of which is everywhere about six feet in thick- 
ness, with sometimes a floor of fire-clay, but more 
generally of sandstone, and the roof consisting of 
the fine conglomerate bed, about sixty feet thick, on 
which rests the Douglas seam, with an average 
thickness of from three and a-half to four feet. The 
roof of this seam is sometimes of iron-clay shale, but 
more often of the same tough conglomerate that it 
rests upon. On Chase River, one and a-quarter 
miles to the south, the outcrop of a seam has been 
discovered and worked to a small extent, which they 
consider to be the Newcastle seam, and as it occurs 
right in the line of strike, and they have ascertained 
the outcrop at several points, it is probable that the 
beds of coal are continuous thus far at least. 

"In the mines they have met several ' stone 
faults,' where the floor rises up and throws the coal 
seam out for several fathoms. It is generally repre- 
sented, however, by a carbonaceous parting. These 
faults are a source of great expense in the working, 
as the conglomerate to be pierced is exceedingly 
tough and compact, so that the blast only brings it 
away in small pieces. The extent or character of 
the workings can be ascertained better from ai* 



Geology of Vancouver Island. 179 

inspection of the map, however, than by any descrip- 
tion. 

" In proceeding along the coast towards the mouth 
of Nanaimo River, the strata consists of argillaceous 
standstones, with a similar character to those of the 
southern part of Newcastle Island, and preserving a 
steady though gentle dip to the E. by S. A short 
way above the entrance to the river, in the sand- 
stones, there is a thin seam of coal, the position of 
which was pointed out to me by Mr. Nichol, as the 
river was too hi^h to allow us to see it. Continuing 
to ascend the river, which is of small size, we found 
low exposures of the sandstone, still with the dip to 
the E., and at Fossil Bank, three or four miles from 
the mouth, they are overlaid conformably by dark 
purple clays, filled with septaria, which yield cretace- 
ous fossils. The dip of the beds is ten degrees to the 
E. by N., and the clay strata were clearly seen to 
rest on the hard-bedded sandstones. I found ino- 
ceramus, baculites and some other fragments of fos- 
sils, of which other specimens are also among those 
obtained by Mr. Bauerman at this place. I was told 
at Nanaimo that ammonites have frequently been 
found there of large size, and from Mr. McKay I 
obtained a number of fossils, some of which he col- 
lected in this locality ; but others, having the same 
appearance, and also contained in septaria, he pro- 
cured from Comux and Valdez Inlet, at the head of 
the Gulf of Georgia ; but these two sets of specimens 



180 Canada on the Pacific. 

have been unfortunately mixed together. For a 
couple of miles the Nanaimo River flows through 
these clay strata, and then turns again from the 
S.W., and in ascending the sandstone strata were 
again found to recur, as in the lower part of the 
river, but with a more rapid dip. At the Canon 
these sandstones form precipices about one hundred 
feet in height, forming a narrow gorge six hundred 
yards long, through which the river flows. The 
beds dip at fifteen degrees to the E.N.E., and are very 
like those of Newcastle Island. 

" From under these sandstones in ascending the 
river, hard beds of the gravel conglomerate cropped 
out with great regularity, separated by soft beds of 
red and greenish clay. These probably correspond 
to the group with the lignite at Nanaimo, but I 
failed in finding any trace of it beyond fragments of 
carbonized wood. The strata from the fossil bank 
up to the river, as far as I went, are shown in sec- 
tion3. 

" The total thickness of the beds from the lignite 
to the clays at Fossil Bank, I estimated at six hun- 
dred to seven hundred feet, but I had no opportu- 
nity of making any exact measurement. Between 
Nanaimo River on the coast there is a tract of very 
fine country, and it is probably occupied by the sep- 
taria clays, which, as I mentioned before, are seen a 
little south of the rapid. 

"At Bellingham Bay, the sections given on the map 



Geology of Vancouver Island. 181 

?were taken by Mr. Pemberton, and show that the 
lignite occurs in large quantity at that place. Lieu- 
tenant Trowbridge, in describing the strata there, 
says they are two thousand feet thick, and includ- 
ing in all one hundred and ten feet of the lignite 
coal. His sections are probably, however, all of the 
same group of strata, being at different points in the 
strike, which gives rise to the apparently enormous 
thickness. 

" The analysis of the coal from Bellingham Bay, 
which is generally considered inferior to that of 
Nanaimo, is given in the Pacific Railway Report, as 
follows : 

Carbon 47*63 

Bitumen 50*22 

Ash 215 

u This coal has been sold in San Francisco at $18 
to $22 per ton (75s. to 91s. 6d. sterling). 

" Lignite coal has also been worked for the same 
market from Coon Bay, which has the following 
composition : 

Carbon 46*54 

Gaseous matter 50*27 

Ash 319 

" Conrad states that shells from this locality are of 
Miocene age. At Binicia, above San Francisco, coal 



182 Canada on the Pacific. 

also occurs, and was wrought for some time, but the 
dip was too steep. 

" In Newbury's report on the geology ]of this part 
of California, I have not seen any notice of where 
Binicia lignite occurs in his sections ; but between 
Binicia and the sea, he describes three thousand feet 
of strata, the lowest beds being of sandstone and 
shales, resting on and penetrated by serpentine and 
trap (the same which are so highly charged with 
ores of copper and mercury further to the south). 
These are followed by green and brown shales, coarse, 
soft sandstone, fine sandstone and shales, with pec- 
ten, natica, mactra, and filaria, and these conglo- 
merates and tufas, the whole lying at an angle of 
thirty degrees. Towards Binicia are thin-bedded 
clays, with shark's teeth. Up Feather River, a tribu- 
tary of the Sacramento River at Chico Creek, a calci- 
ferous sandstone is described containing nucula, 
mactra, and other tertiary forms, but from the same 
place are baculites, inacerami, and ammonites, 
which Meek considers as proving the existence of 
upper cretaceous strata at that place ; so that it is 
probable that there are strata of both ages, but 
included in the same disturbances, and it is not 
unlikely that the section from Binicia to the sea 
may also include cretaceous strata. 

" The existence of coal or lignite on the Pacific 
coast, of quality fit for the purposes of raising steam^ 
is of great commercial importance, and that obtained 



Geology of Vancouver Island. 183 

from Nanaimo is as yet admitted to be the best in 
the market. 

"If these beds are, therefore, discovered to be per- 
sistent, so that they can be worked to advantage on 
a large scale, there is little doubt that this coal, even 
though it be an imperfect substitute for the finer 
coal we are accustomed to in this country, will form 
a valuable source of wealth to the new British colony. 
Already it is extensively used by the British navy 
on that station, and it was found to require only a 
slight modification in the method of feeding the fires 
to make it highly effective as a steam generator, 

" As beds of coal of similar quality exist in the 
Islands of Japan and Formosa, we would thus have 
the supply of fuel at the extremity of the line of the 
great sea voyage, if the route from England by the 
Canadas, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, to 
China, and the east, were adopted, a natural fitness 
not to be overlooked in considering such a scheme." 





CHAPTER XIII. 

NANAIMO TO SAN FRANCISCO. 

Nanaimo — San Juan — The Boundary Dispute — Victoria — Esqui- 
mault — Olympia — Opposition Stages — A Humiliating Break- 
down — Washington Territory — A Model Hotel — Beach Port- 
land — On board the " Oriflamme "—Astoria — Arrival at San 
Francisco. 

HE little town of Nanaimo has increased since 
the Doctor's visit. The pits, and all the 
appliances for the extraction and shipment of coal, 
are on a true English scale, and extremely creditable 
to the enterprising firm which conducts the business. 
There is a substantial iron tram-road, about half-a- 
mile long, by which the coal is rapidly and econo- 
mically transferred from the pit's mouth to the 
wharf, where, by a special contrivance, similar to 
that used in English ports, it is dumped into the 
ship's hold. 

On the morning of the 12th, Mr. Green, the 
purser, and I paid a visit to the pit, and were pre- 
paring to descend, when a warning whistle caused 
us to return to the " Otter," which had just finished 



San Juan — Victoria. 185 

coaling. We had barely jumped on board when the 
lines were cast off; and leaving the wharf, we 
steamed through the Dodd Narrows, and down 
Trincomalee Channel, between Admiral and Pender 
Islands, and into the Swanson Channel. In the 
afternoon we passed the picturesque island of San 
Juan, which, had the late arbitration decided fairly, 
would now belong to Vancouver Island, instead of 
being the property of our jealous neighbours. The 
Haro Straits, between six and seven miles wide, 
which separate San Juan from Vancouver Island, 
could be effectually commanded from San Juan by 
heavy ordnance ; and the passage of ships from the 
Pacific to Bute Inlet might be seriously interfered 
with in the event of hostilities between Canada and 
the States. At five, p.m., after rounding Discovery 
and Trial Islands, we entered the intricate channel 
leading into the harbour of Victoria, and ranged up 
alongside the Hudson's Bay Company's wharf at 
six, p.m. — thus completing another stage of the long 
journey from Fort Garry. 

As Victoria has been described already by various 
writers, it is sufficient for me to say that it is a little 
town of five or six thousand inhabitants, was orim- 
nally located by the Hudson's Bay Company, pos- 
sesses a small harbour, can boast of gas, has a 
theatre, any number of saloons, and one or two fair 
hotels, of which the Driard House is the best. A 
short distance to the westward of Victoria lies the 



186 Canada on the Pacific. 

commodious harbour of Esquimault, where vessels of 
large tonnage can always anchor. 

Finding that the steamer "Prince Alfred" had just 
left for San Francisco, I determined to proceed to 
California by the way of Puget Sound and Portland, 
in the State of Oregon. On the morning of the 
18th February, I accordingly took passage on board 
the American steamer "North Pacific," which leaves 
Victoria twice a-week for Olympia., a little town 
situated at the very extreme end of the Sound, and 
distant by water from Victoria about one hundred 
and twenty nautical miles. The day was beautiful, 
but a stiffish north-east breeze coming from the 
snowy Cascades, rendered an overcoat necessary. 
This vessel was built after the fashion of American 
river steamers, and had the usual tier of high cabins, 
and a spacious saloon, which was well filled with pas- 
sengers. In two hours and a-half we crossed the 
strait, and, rounding Point Wilson, turned into Port 
Townsend, distant thirty-five miles from Victoria. 
Some of our passengers disembarked at this little 
village ; and, after a few minutes' delay, we pushed 
on, touching at some intermediate points, and reached 
Olympia at two, a.m. on the 19th. A considerable 
dumber business is carried on in the little settle- 
ments bordering on the Sound, and, at nearly all the? 
ports we touched, vessels of large size were loading 
sawn lumber for San Francisco and South American 
ports. Several large barques passed us outward 



Olympia. 187 

"bound for Valparaiso and San Francisco, which seem 
to be the principal markets for the Puget Sound 
lumber. 

In the morning, those of our passengers who, like 
myself, were en route for Portland, went ashore, and 
breakfasted at a restaurant in the principal street of 
the town, before taking the stage for Tenino, fifteen 
miles distant, and the most western point which 
the Northern Pacific road has reached. Having, 
while on board the " Northern Pacific," secured a 
through ticket for Portland, for the sum of 813.50 
(gold), I proceeded, after breakfast, to the stage office, 
and depositing my valise in the care of the stage- 
driver, started on foot, giving that functionary to 
understand that he would overtake me on the 
road. 

Olympia claims, I believe, to be the capital of 
Washiugton Territory, and has the appearance of 
having reached its present estate with too rapid 
strides. Its principal revenue appears to be derived 
from the stir and business created by the passenger 
traffic between Portland and Victoria. There are 
several very fair shops, and the place has the neat 
and trim appearance which Americans generally 
succeed so well in giving to their towns. Following 
the main street for half-a-mile, the road ascends a 
pretty steep hill, and enters an extensive pine forest. 
The soil is very light and sandy, offering but small 
inducement to farmers. Indeed, the chief trade of 



188 Canada on the Pacific. 

this territory appears to be lumber, which is divided 
into two branches, viz., the milling business, carried 
on separately ; while that of procuring logs is con- 
ducted by men who devote their attention to them 
alone, and usually get them out by contract with 
the millers. A couple of miles beyond Olympia, the 
road crossed a small inlet, where some extensive 
mills were in full operation. Beyond this I passed 
through a moderately level and partially burnt 
country, diversified by occasional open tracts, where 
now and again a settlers home could be seen. 

Six miles on, a waggon laden with " Celestials," 
and bearing upon its white canvas covering, in 
gigantic letters, the words, "Opposition Stage," passed 
me, and, immediately after, the legitimate convey- 
ance, drawn by two horses, came up. The driver, 
reining up, desired me to get in as quickly as possi- 
ble, as he wished to get past " the darned opposi- 
tion cuss." The occupants of the vehicle in which I 
now found myself seated were, an Oregon cattle- 
owner, reputed very wealthy, a California gentleman 
on his way home to San Francisco, and last, though 
not least, the ex-Governor of Washington Territory. 
We bumped along at a fair speed, overtaking and 
passing the " opposition," to the driver of which the 
Oregon man maliciously offered a tow-rope. We 
had hardly made a couple of hundred yards past 
that vehicle, when the tire of our hind wheel snap- 
ped, and almost immediately after, the wheel itself 



A Humiliating Break-down. 189 

became so ricketty that we were obliged to stop, the 
" opposition " driver passing us, and sarcastically 
volunteering to detain the train at Tenino until we 
came up. We had now no alternative but to pro- 
ceed on foot, so, each man shouldering as many of his 
personal effects as he could conveniently carry, we 
plodded on through the dense pine woods, and 
reached Tenino at half-past one. The conductor very 
obligingly detained the train for fifteen minutes, 
until we swallowed a hasty dinner, for which the 
moderate sum of fifty cents was charged. 

Tenino was merely a temporary city, and consisted 
of the unfinished station and buildings of the North- 
ern Pacific Road, now brought to this point from 
Kalama, another town of railway growth situated 
sixty miles to the southward, and on the right 
bankof the Columbia River. At this time the termin- 
al point of the road was still kept secret, but the gene- 
ral opinion pointed either to Bellingham Bay, situated 
one hundred and sixty miles to the northward, 
or to Sinahomis, a harbour on Possession Sound. 
Although a daily train was run upon this road, the 
time allowed to reach Kalama was five hours, on 
account of the unfinished state of the permanent 
way. The road was not ballasted, and extreme cau- 
tion was necessary in some places. The country 
through which this piece of road passes was heavily 
timbered, and for the greater distance passably level; 
some rather shaky trestle bridges were also crossed. 



190 Canada on the Pacific. 

Throughout, the soil was wretched, being generally 
of a sandy or gravelly character ; altogether, Wash- 
ington Territory has not much to boast of, excepting 
its pine and coal, the latter being much inferior to 
that of Vancouver Island. Between Tenino and the 
Columbia River, the country passed through was 
sparsely settled, and inferior in every respect to 
what I had expected from the glowing accounts 
given of it by the partisans of the Northern Pacific 
Road. Before reaching Kalama, the railroad follows 
the low banks of the Columbia River for several 
miles, over alluvial flats, which appear to flood 
during high-water. Kalama is a town of some two 
years' growth, and possesses a large and handsome 
hotel, situated high up on the steep hill, on the side 
of which the town is built. The Kazano House 
was a model of cleanliness, and a really sumptuous 
repast was served up in the most approved modern 
style by Chinese waiters. This house is built entire- 
ly of wood, but is of great size, and fitted up in as 
comfortable a manner as could be desired. 

The next morning, at five, a.m., the passengers 
for Portland, myself among the number, embarked 
on a very comfortable stern-wheel steamer, and 
ascending the Columbia River, reached Portland 
on the Willamette, at half-past nine. Proceeding 
at once to the Oregon Steam-ship Company's office, 
I secured a berth on board the side-wheel steamer 
*' Oriflainme," advertised to leave for San Francisco, 



Portland. 191 

«on the following day at four p.m. For this I paid 

$30 in gold, and proceeding with Mr. S , of San 

Francisco, to the St. Charles Hotel, we put up in 
that large and commodious establishment. 

Portland, the capital of Oregon, is situated upon 
the left bank of the Willamette, and about one 
hundred miles from the mouth of the Columbia 
River, which is joined by the former a few miles 
below the city. It is handsomely and regularly 
built, and has some good streets and very fine 
buildings. The population is about ten thousand. 
Among the public buildings worthy of notice is 
the market-house, which, for neatness and cleanli- 
ness, far surpasses similar institutions I have seen 
in the largest cities in Canada. A considerable 
trade in lumber, grain and cattle is carried on here, 
and ships of large tonnage load alongside the well- 
constructed wharves. On the opposite side of the 
Willamette, the terminus of the Oregon Central 
Railroad is situated. This line follows the right 
bank of the river for a considerable way, and is 
intended to connect with the California and Oregon 
Road. It is already constructed as far as Eugene 
City, some one hundred and twenty miles to the 
southward. On the Portland side, a branch of the 
same line is projected to Astoria, at the mouth of 
the Columbia River. 

On the 21st February, at four, p.m., the " Ori- 
flamme" cast off from the wharf, after having 



192 Canada on the Pacific. 

embarked about one hundred and twenty passengers 
for San Francisco. We reached Astoria the next 
morning at ten, a.m., and took on board a pilot for 
there is a dangerous bar which, about seven miles 
below the town, obstructs the entrance of the Co- 
lumbia River. 

Astoria is a dead-and-alive kind of place, and, 
by all accounts, is retrograding. The Columbia is 
about five miles wide opposite here, and several 
ships were lying just inside the bar, waiting for a 
slant of favourable wind to run out. At half-past 
ten we cast off, and steamed for the bar, which 
was fortunately now quite smooth, the weather hav- 
ing been settled for the last few days. The chan- 
nel is not very wide, but as its direction is first west- 
ward, and then suddenly changes to W.S.W., sailing 
ships often require to wait some time for a suitable wind 
to cross. During the prevalence of south-west gales, 
a heavy sea sets in, which breaks completely across 
the channel, and renders the entrance to the Colum- 
bia River extremely dangerous. Many ships have 
been lost here, and the place is consequently much 
dreaded by mariners. We were fairly outside at 
noon, when the square foresail and topsail were set, 
and we were now on our way down the coast for 
San Francisco. On the 23rd, at ten, a.m., we passed 
Cape Blanco, then ten miles distant. The weather 
was fine, with a light breeze from the north- 
ward, and we passed the "Prince Alfred/' bound to 



Arrival at San Francisco. 193 

Victoria. At noon, to-day, the wind freshened, and by 
four, p.m., it was blowing a brisk gale, with a rather 
heavy sea running. Passed Cape Mendocino at 
eleven p.m. The weather the following day was 
perfectly delightful, with a nice breeze from the 
north. We entered the Golden Gate at eight, p.m., 
and reached the quay at San Francisco in an hour 
and a-half, the voyage from Portland having occu- 
pied seventy-seven hours and a-half, of which four 
were lost by detention from fog while in the Colum- 
bia River. On landing, I put up at the Grand 
Hotel, and left Oakland, en route for Ottawa, on the 
26th February, reaching the capital of the Dominion 
eight days later, the round trip having occupied seven 
months and a few days. 




CHAPTER XIV. 

THE CANADA PACIFIC ROUTE. 

EY NARRATIVE closes with a few remarks 
upon the great question of the day — one 
seriously involving the future prospects and interests 
of the Dominion — namely, that of the Canada Pacific 
Railway : its route westward from Fort Garry, its 
passage of the Rocky Mountains, and its most elig- 
ible terminal point upon the Pacific Coast. 

The decision as to the rightful proprietorship of 
the Island of San Juan, lately made by the Emperor 
of Germany and his colleagues in the arbitration, 
will probably assist materially in forming a correct 
judgment as to the proper terminal point on the 
Pacific waters for the Interoceanic highway. Pre- 
vious to the promulgation of the "fiat," the petty 
interests of New Westminster and Burrard's Inlet 
were, perhaps, suffered to influence, or, at any rate, 
to suspend judgment in this most important matter. 
The denizens of the Fraser River Valley sought, by 
every means in their power, to divert the course of 



The Canada Pacific Route. 1 95 

the railroad to New Westminster. The sea-girt 
dwellers of Victoria blustered, and endeavoured to 
show up, in the most glowing colours, the advantages 
derivable from the selection of Esquimault as the rail- 
road port; and, between the two, the Dominion 
Government had, doubtless, sore trouble. Now, 
however, the destinies of San Juan being no longer 
a matter for speculation, the petty and selfish in- 
terests of individuals will be disregarded, and the 
wise legislation of the Great Dominion, drawing 
much good out of a trifling evil, will, doubtless, 
sacrifice small and local interests to the general wel- 
fare, and choose the Bute Inlet for a terminus, until 
the great work of binding together the mainland 
with Vancouver Island shall be accomplished, when 
Esquimault, which is considered by naval authorities 
— the best in such matters — the safest and most 
accessible harbour north of San Francisco, will be 
at last uninterruptedly connected with the interior 
and eastern portions of the Continent. 

Besides Esquimault and Burrard's Inlet, several 
other points have been brought forward as eligible 
for termini. A brief description of those places will, 
therefore, not be out of place. 

The head of the Alberni Canal, situated up Bar- 
clay Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, 
has been suggested. The promoters of such a scheme 
were, doubtless, ignorant of the dangers of the iron- 
■girt western shores of Vancouver, and of Barclay 



196 Canada on the Pacific. 

Sound in particular. So much do sea-faring men? 
not only officers of the Royal Navy, but old and 
experienced hands in the coast trade, understand 
and appreciate the dangers of this horrible coast, 
that, without one exception, all those to whom' I 
have spoken or written upon the subject, emphati- 
cally denounce the choice of such a locality. Right 
across the principal entrance to Barclay Sound, and 
at intervals of one mile and a-half, stretch three 
clusters of sunken rocks, over which, in heavy 
weather, the deep sea of the Pacific breaks with a 
sullen roar; but during the terrific gales which 
sometimes rage from the north-west or south-west, 
the whole distance across, from Cape Beale to Storm 
Island (about seven nautical miles), and within 
which those sunken dangers occur, is a seething 
mass of troubled waters, among which the rocks 
referred to could be with very great difficulty distin- 
guished. From twenty to fifty fathoms are found 
across the entrance ; but the " fetch " of the Pacific 
is here so great, that whether or not buoys or 
beacons, if placed, would remain for any length of 
time in their positions, is problematical. The whole 
coast is here iron-bound, every point and headland 
of the Sound having to bear the brunt of the terrific 
swells which roll in upon their rocky and perpen- 
dicular sides with a violence unparalleled in any 
other part of the globe ; and the slightest error in. 
reckoning, which a stranger, entering for the firsts 



The Canada Pacific Route. 197 

time, could not easily avoid, would inevitably result 
in immediate and total destruction. 

Bella Coula, situated up the Bentinck North Arm, 
has also been spoken of ; but to it I have already 
referred in my journey down the coast. As for the 
rivers Skeena and Naas, the geographical positions 
they occupy, apart from the consideration that to 
reach them from the east a railroad line would 
require to be carried, in a great measure, over some 
of the most unproductive and barren portions of 
Northern British Columbia, is sufficient to place 
them beyond further consideration. 

From what I have seen of the coast of British 
Columbia, Bute Inlet, owing to its accessibility from 
the interior by the Chilcotin Valley, and from the 
fact of Vancouver Island being within practicable 
distance, appears to be the most suitable point on 
the mainland where the Canada Pacific Railway 
should debouch. Premising, then, that Bute Inlet 
will be chosen for a terminal point, we shall now 
consider the problem of how to reach it from Win- 
nepeg, the capital of Manitoba, distant, in round 
numbers, sixteen hundred miles. 

In the Canada Pacific Railroad Report of 1872, 
the route projected from Fort Garry westward, via 
Thunder Hill, the elbow of the North Saskatchewan, 
and the open plain country south of the North Sas- 
katchewan, spanning the latter near the White Mud 
Hiver, and thence to Lac Brul6, Jasper House, and 



198 Canada on the Pacific. 

the T§te Jaune Cache, does not pass over the best 
and most available land for settlement. Again, the 
difficulty of reaching Bute Inlet from the T§te 
Jaune Cache appears to be very great. The extreme 
roughness of the country between the Cache and 
Quesnel, either by Lac la Hache or the North Fork 
of the Fraser, would seem to bar progress by either 
route. However, it is within the bounds of possibi- 
lity that a practicable route may be found; but 
even were such a route discovered, I emphatically 
maintain that the portion of the road between 
Thunder Hill and Jasper House, is not well chosen, 
with a view to successful settlement, and the eco- 
nomic construction and future maintenance of a 
railroad. 

If the Dominion Government desire to construct 
a road which will open up the best land in the 
North- West, and if it be their wish to maintain it 
with economy, and little trouble from the great snow 
difficulty without and within the mountains, a ques- 
tion almost entirely obviated by the Peace Kiver 
country route (for I venture to assert that the greatest 
depth of snow to be encountered, either on the 
south branch of the Peace, or near McLeod Lake, 
will not be anything like the deep snow met with 
on the Lower St. Lawrence, through which the 
Grand Trunk now passes), they must push the line 
through the country indicated in the following 



The Canada Pacific Route. 199 

article published by me in the Ottawa Citizen of 
24th October last : — 

"At the present juncture, when the so-called Ca- 
nada Pacific Railway scandal is occupying the 
attention of legislators and the public generally, ifc 
may not be amiss to offer some remarks upon the 
route or routes available for the very important 
highway destined not only to bring the remote 
shores of the Dominion within easy reach of each 
other, but also to open up the vast and now unoc- 
cupied lands of the North- West. 

" That the route across the Rocky Mountains, via 
the TSte Jaune Cache, will be finally adopted, or. if 
chosen, that it will fulfil the conditions requisite, in 
order to meet the emergency of the case, is not the 
general belief. Against the selection of that route, 
there appear to be two rather powerful arguments. 
First, the difficulty of reaching the Bute Inlet from 
the T§te Jaune Cache ; and secondly, the unsuitabi- 
lity of the section of country east of the Rocky 
Mountains crossed by that line for settlement. 

" In order to reach this momentous question with- 
out circumlocution, we shall at once enter into a 
comparison between the route projected via theTSte 
Jaune Cache pass and one proposed by the writer, 
by way of Lac la Biche and the Peace River, cross- 
ing the Rocky Mountain range either by a supposed 
practicable and low pass, situated in about latitude 
55 J deg. N., or through the comparatively low gap 



200 Canada on the Pacific. 

in the Rocky Mountains by which the great Peace 
River finds its way from the British Columbian 
slopes at an elevation of about one thousand six 
hundred feet above sea level, to the eastern side of 
the range. 

" Before going further, let us premise that Bute 
Inlet is the point on the Pacific coast which it is 
most desirable for the line to reach in order, at some 
future and not far distant period, to bring Vancouver 
Island and Victoria into direct communication with 
the interior of the continent. Taking it for granted 
that a practicable route does exist from the T§te 
Jaune Cache, via the North Fraser and Fort George, 
to Bute Inlet (a distance of four hundred and fifty 
miles), or from the TSte Jaune Cache to the same 
point, via Lac la Hache (also four hundred and fifty 
miles) — both distances taken from Progress Report 
of 1872, see page 17— we shall at once discuss the 
merits of that section of the Canada Pacific com- 
prised between Portage la Prairie (Manitoba) and 
the Cache. 

" From Portage la Prairie, in a north-west direc- 
tion, and for a distance of about two hundred and 
twenty miles, the projected route passes over a very 
fine country. In the vicinity of the pretty poplar- 
wooded Riding Mountains, to the south, and almost 
within reach of the beautiful Lake Dauphin, and 
over the Swan River, until, when between the 
Thunder and Porcupine Hills, it takes a westward 



The Canada Pacific Route. 201 

course for the Saskatchewan, distant a hundred and 
ninety-two miles. We shall now make the Thunder 
Hill a common point of departure for the two routes 
under discussion, for east of that prominence the 
line has passed over the best available ground. 
Resuming, then, our course for the Tete Jaune 
Cache, we strike almost due west for a hundred and 
ninety-two miles over a very easy country, but for 
the most part open, sparsely wooded, and containing 
many lakes, of which the waters are saturated with 
the sulphate of soda. From the crossing of the 
South Saskatchewan to that of the northern branch 
of the same river, at the White Mud Creek, above 
Edmonton, three hundred and fifty miles of country 
are crossed, nine-tenths of which is a treeless prairie, 
exposed to the fury of the cold northern blasts, 
rough and broken in many places, where good fresh 
water, excepting in the vicinity of the rivers, is 
extremely scarce ; salt and brackish lakes are of 
frequent occurrence, and very much frequented by the 
nomadic tribes of the plains. 

" Crossing the North Saskatchewan, we now leave 
the open plain country, and enter a vast swampy 
region, which, with the exception of some few dry 
ridges, extends to the Athabaska River. As a mat- 
ter of course, this tract of country, which the line 
intersects for a distance of some one hundred and 
seventy miles, is wet, cold, and quite unsuitable for 
•successful settlement. From the southern end of 



202 Canada on the Pacific. 

Lac Brul£, which we have now reached, about one 
hundred miles take us to the Cache, which distance 
can be overcome by easy grades. A great portion 
of the section of country just described offers im- 
mense tracts of fine land, suitable, so far as the soil 
itself is concerned, for both agricultural and grazing 
purposes. But the drawbacks already briefly referred 
to — namely, the scarcity of wood and water — are 
insuperable obstacles in the way of successful and 
permanent settlement. It is true that occasionally 
small copses of poplars (the trees rarely exceeding 
eight inches in diameter) are met with ; neverthe- 
less, the extent of wooded compared with prairie 
land is so disproportionate, that but a widely-scat- 
tered community of settlers would be needed to 
clear off all the available timber in a very few 
years. 

" On the score of fuel, it may be urged that the 
coal, which underlies a great extent of the Upper 
Saskatchewan country, may offer a good substitute 
for wood, and be used to advantage. There is na 
doubt that coal, in quantity enormous, but in quality, 
perhaps, doubtful, is to be found, especially west of 
Fort Pitt ; but those who seek these regions with a, 
view to settlement cannot be expected to turn all 
their attention and devote all their energies towards 
the painful and laborious extraction from the bowels 
of the earth of the wherewithal to keep body and 
soul together, during the long and severe winters, 



The Canada Pacific Route. 20& 

which are the rale, when the thermometer often 
sinks to 40 deg. below zero. It is one thing to 
cross those beautiful prairies during the summer 
season, when the hills and dales are in the full flush 
of exuberant verdure, another to travel them in 
winter, in face of the biting northern blasts which 
sweep the boundless wastes of these interminable 
plains with a rigour and severity almost Arctic in 
their intensity. 

" We shall now return to the Thunder Hill, the 
point where the proposed route to the Pacific, via 
Lac la Biche and Peace River, branches northwards 
from the one just described. Travelling west north- 
westerly for about one hundred and fifty miles, 
within the limits of the true forest, we reach Fort 
k la Corne. Somewhere in this vicinity, a crossing 
of the Saskatchewan must be sought ; and gaining 
the north side of that river, the line of route would 
cross the Netsetting River, and, keeping south of 
Green and Pelican Lakes, seek the easiest way to 
Lac la Biche, through a thick wood country, sup- 
porting a growth of spruce, larch and poplars, abound- 
ing in lakes teeming with fish, and removed from 
the presence of the roving Indians of the plains. 
From Lac la Biche (in latitude 55 deg. north, where 
wheat has been successfully cultivated for years) to 
the western extremity of Lesser Slave Lake, is a 
distance of about one hundred and seventy miles, 
through a fairly level country, covered with forest- 



204 Canada on the Pacific. 

This section is comparatively unknown, but, from 
Indian reports, is presumed to be level. From this 
point sixty-five miles of fine gently-rolling timbered 
country will take the line to the Smoky River 
which can be crossed some thirty miles from its 
mouth. From the last-mentioned river the line 
would intersect and open up a vast and fertile 
region, situated to the south of the great Peace 
River — a region probably comprising an area equal 
in extent to Manitoba, well wooded, with abundance 
of fresh water, of excellent soil, and in all probabi- 
lity possessing unlimited quantities of good coal. 
The general elevation of this large tract of country 
is about one thousand eight hundred feet above sea 
level. The climate is most salubrious, and, by all 
accounts, as mild, if not milder, than that of Red 
River. On the extensive plains bordering upon 
the Peace River, both north and south of it, snow 
rarely exceeds two feet in depth, and never packs. 
Up to the month of December, the plains are often 
nearly bare ; and although winter usually sets in 
with the month of November, the early opening 
of the spring in April compensates for the short fall. 

" I shall here give several extracts from a letter 
written by a gentleman of reliability, who has lived 
in the Peace River country for seven years. Speak- 
ing of the climate, he says : — 

" ' Le climat est certainement salubre. Les vents 
qui rSgnent en maitre ne sont g£n£ralement pas 



The Canada Pacific Route. 205 

froids ; ils soufflent presque toujours de l'ouest h l'est, 
et du sud-ouest au nord-est. Les orages ne font point 
de d£gats. En hiver m§me, la temperature est tres 
vari^e, ce n'est que dans le mois de Janvier et une 
partie de Mars que quand le vent est nord, il fait 
bien froid. 

" ' A Athabasca, au contraire, le froid est intense 
et de longue duree. La neige n'atteint ordinaire- 
ment pas plus que deux pieds, encore n'est ellepas 
dure, Vair etant toujours sec et le del serein. 

" ' Dans les cotes, dans les prairies, la nature offre 
une foule de fruits que les Europ6ens meme ne d£- 
daigneraient pas sur leurs tables. Des poires, des 
cerises sauvages, des pembina, des raisins d'ours, des 
fraises, des framboises. . . . II me semble que 
le pommier r^ussirait. L'orge murit tous les ans. 
Je pense que le bl£ sem6 en automne murirait tr£s 
souvent, comme le bl6 du printemps. Une ann£e 
j'ai sem6 des haricots le 24 de Mai, le 30 de Juillet 
ils ^taient bons a manger. Les pois rdussissent g£n£- 
ralement, legumes toujours bien/ 

" Of the mineral resources, he says : — c In many 
places tar exudes from the ground. The purest and 
whitest of salt can be collected in enormous quan- 
tities. Pure sulphur is found below Fort Vermilion. 
Bituminous springs abound, while the Smoky River,, 
as its name indicates, proves the existence of vast 
beds of pit coal/ 

" This magnificent country, rich in mineral wealthy 



206 Canada on the Pacific. 

with abundance of timber, possessing millions of 
acres of the finest pasture land, watered by numerous 
small rivers, is intersected by the noble Peace River, 
navigable from the Rocky Mountain Portage to the 
Smoky River (a distance of two hundred and fifty 
miles), and probably very much further, for the 
largest river steamers. 

"We shall now, once more, pick up the line of 
route, and keeping a little south of west, cross the 
Rocky Mountains by the Pine River Summit Lake 
Pass, if it be practicable. If, on the contrary, in- 
surmountable obstacles impede our progress in that 
direction, we must keep to the right, heading the 
Pine River sufficiently to enable us to cross it at the 
most eligible point, and make for the Peace River 
Valley, by following which, and making a detour of 
one hundred and twenty-five miles, we shall reach 
McLeod Lake, after having passed through the 
Rocky Mountains at an elevation rarely exceeding 
one thousand eight hundred feet above the sea. 
This detour may, however, necessitate very heavy 
works of construction, the Pine River, owing to its 
deep valley, being itself, probably, the first serious 
obstacle. Between this river and the upper end of 
the Portage, probably thirty miles, the country is a 
dense forest, and apparently rough. The White 
.Fish River has, besides, perhaps to be crossed. 
Above the Portage, and partly within the moun- 
tains, there are sixty or seventy miles of rough and 



The Canada Pacific Route. 207 

expensive road to be constructed. Occasional level 
terraces can be made use of; but precipitous moun- 
tain sides, especially above the "Rapide Qui ne Parle 
Pas," will occasion heavy and expensive work, while 
the tortuousDess of the river may require many 
bridges. 

" The waters of the Peace River above the Portage 
being, however, navigable for stern- wheel steamers 
of light draught, some slight improvement being 
made at the Finlay Rapids, as far as the outlet of 
McLeod Lake, would greatly simplify the operation 
of road making, by furnishing cheap and easy 
means of transport along one hundred and forty-five 
miles of the line of route. From McLeod Lake, or 
its vicinity, one hundred and forty miles of country, 
chiefly unavailable for farming purposes, in some 
places rough, for a great part level, and probably 
nowhere exceeding two thousand four hundred feet 
above the sea, will bring the line to West Arm or 
Black River, whence the famed Chilcoten Valley, 
and thence the Bute Inlet may be reached. 

" When we consider that the line just pointed out 
is via the Pine River Summit Lake Pass only fifty 
miles longer than that by the Tete Jaune Cache, or, 
the Pine Pass being impracticable, that the route via 
the circuitous Peace River Valley and the Parsnip 
only exceeds by one hundred and eighty miles the 
Yellow Head Pass route, that it will pass out of the 
region of deep snow, and open up the best and 



208 



Canada on the Pacific. 



most available country of the Nor'- West for settle- 
ment, avoiding much rough country and the hideous 
Fraser River altogether, there can be no doubt as 
to the most eligible line for the great Interoceanic 
highway, to give it the conditions essential to its 
success as a commercial and political undertaking. 

Canadian Pacific Railway Route, 
via T6te Jaune Cache. 



Route. 



From Portage la Prairie to Thunder) 
Hill i 

From Thunder Hill to the crossing") 
of the South Saskatchewan j 

From South Saskatchewan to the ) 
crossing near the White Mud.... j 

From White Mud to South end of) 
Lac Brule J 

From Lac Brule to the Tete Jaune \ 
Cache J 

From Tete Jaune Cache to Bute Inlet, S 
either by Lac la Hache, or the ! 
North Fraser River and Fort t 
George and Chilcoten. .......... ) 



Remarks. 



Fine country for settle- 
ment 

Much open country, salt 
lakes, little wood 

Nearly all open country, 
salt lakes, hilly, and 
much exposed 

Swampy, cold, unfitted for 
settlement 

Unsuitable for agricul- 
ture 

The Chilcoten Valley is 
the only available dis- 
trict for settlement in 
this section 



w 



3760 ft 



220 
192: 

350> 
170 

110' 

450 

11492 



53 miles shorter than the Peace River route, via Pine River 
Summit Lake. 

178 miles shorter than the route through the Peace River 
Valley. 






SE J 



u„<„ &„,>,„/„„,/. /,.,.„,,//„„ A,/, ,„,.. 




The Canada Pacific Route. 



209 



Canadian Pacific Railway Route, 
via Peace River. 



Route. 



Remarks. 



From Portage la Prairie to Thunder) 

Hill j 

From Thunder Hill to Fort a la) 

Corne } 

From Fort a la Corne to Lac la) 

Biche , . ■ f 

From Lac la Biche to west end of) 

Lesser Slave Lake J 

From west end of Lesser Slave Lake \ 

to Smoky River } 

From Smoky River to Pine River) 

Summit Lake j 

From Pine River Summit Lake to) 

Lake McLeod j 

From Lake McLeod to Ques-) 

nel f 

From Quesnel to Bute Inlet, via\ 

Chilcoten ) 



Fine country for settle- 
ment 

Fine country, for the most part 
wooded 

Thick wood country, many 
lakes abounding in fish 

Wooded country, not much 
known, but reported level .... 

Fine country, well wooded and 
watered 

Beautiful country, prairie, woods, 
coal 

Not available for agricul- 
ture 

Very little of it available for 
agriculture 

(?) • 



220 
150 
350 
170 

65 
170 

60 

140 

220 

1,545 




N 



APPENDIX L 

THE INDIANS OF BEITISH COLUMBIA. 

fT MAY be of interest to offer a few remarks 
regarding the Indian population of British 
Columbia, a passing allusion to the aboriginal inha- 
bitants of the nor'-west coast of the Dominion being 
all the more deserving of notice from the fact that 
they very much outnumber the white population of 
that Province. 

The population of this interesting race in the Pro- 
vince is estimated at about thirty thousand, but 
from the extreme difficulty of taking a correct cen- 
sus in such a vast and rugged country as British 
Columbia, those figures may be taken as merely 
approximate. One cannot but be struck with the 
Mongolian cast of countenance of the coast Indians 
of British Columbia. Also among the tribes with 
whom it is not customary to alter the cranial forma- 
tion by pressure in infancy, the skull is found to 
possess the flat central ridge peculiar to the Mongo- 
lian races. 



The Indians of British Columbia. 211 

Withio the memory of the Hudson's Bay < e oldest 
inhabitants" in this region, Japanese junks have 
been known to drift across in a disabled state. 
What more natural than to suppose that this 
portion of the Pacific Coast was either populated by 
that means, or that in former times those visitors 
left their impress on the aboriginal race ? There 
is another mixture iri the blood on the west coast of 
Vancouver Island, and a very marked one — the 
Spanish, owing to the Spaniards having long ago had 
a settlement at Nootka. Strangely enough, the 
Spanish cast of countenance does not show in the 
women, who have the same flat features as their sis- 
ters to the eastward. Nor is it so noticeable among the 
young men, many of whom, however, have beards, a 
most unusual appendage among American Indians, and 
of course traceable to the cause referred to. The fea- 
tures are more observable among the older men, 
many of whom, with their long, narrow, pointed 
faces and beards, would, if washed, present very fair 
models for Don Quixote. 

A point of some interest in speculating on the origin 
of the present inhabitants is, that in several parts of 
the Province there are spots thickly strewn with stone 
cairns. Many of these have been opened by parties 
of gentlemen interested in such subjects, and have 
been found, in every case, to contain human remains. 
The Indians are very jealous of any desecration 
of their dead, but they had no objection to these 



212 Canada on the Pacific. 

researches, observing "That they did not belong 
to their people." The present natives never bury 
their dead. Until very lately incremation was 
general among the northern Indians, but they, in 
common with many other tribes, now box up their dead 
in highly ornamented chests, curiously carved and 
painted, and place them in small huts at a short dis- 
tance from their villages. Others again put the 
deceased in his canoe, with all his hunting neces- 
saries, and trice him up into a tree. This strong 
apparent difference suggests a pre-existing race. 

These people are spread all over the seaboard and 
inland waters. Owing to the thick and impenetra- 
ble forest which covers the country down to the 
very water's edge, they have been driven to subsist 
principally by fishing. There are several distinct 
languages, large groups of small tribes speaking 
dialects of the same language. To furnish an in- 
stance of the numerous sub-divisions into which the 
British Columbian Indian race has been split up, 
some of those tribes inhabiting the country adjacent 
to the Skeena may be instanced : the Babine 
Indians, the Kissgarrase, the Culdoah, Kyspyox, Kit- 
tumarks, Kitsigeuchly, Kitwangar, Kitsellase, Kit- 
wuncole, Killoosa, and further down the Skeena, the 
Kitsumkalum. These enumerated belong, with the 
exception of the Babines, to the Skeena. On the 
Naas and its tributaries, and in fact on every inlet 
of the coast, the subdivisions are just as frequent. 



The Indians of British Columbia. 213 

Although, however, the same dialect may be common 
to many, they do not seem to be bound together 
by acknowledged relationship or alliance. It is 
perhaps as well for the white population, which is 
scanty, and the settlers away from the main towns, 
who are few and very far between, that among the 
Indians it is, most emphatically, u every one for him- 
self." They are split up into innumerable small 
tribes, there being a village or ranche in nearly every 
indentation or inlet on this much broken coast. 
Each has its chief, who does not seem to possess 
much authority, and many have intertribal feuds of 
long standing. 

Besides the right of fishing in the waters imme- 
diately surrounding their settlement, each tribe has, 
in common with several others, a right to share in 
the salmon and " Oolahan" fishing which takes place 
annually at the nearest river or inlet where the fish 
run up at certain seasons. On these occasions there 
is sometimes a jollification in the form of a whisky 
feast, and when mad drunk with the poison sold by some 
white ruffian, against the law, murders are often com- 
mitted. If the murderer belongs to a different tribe 
from that of the victim, it at once becomes a 
family question, and on the first opportunity a life 
will be taken on the other side, and so on, back- 
wards and forwards, for the retaliation may not 
square the account. Their idea of arithmetic is most 



214 Canada on the Pacific. 

limited, and the consequence is that these feuds 
become interminable. 

As the people of British Columbia object to their 
fellow subjects carrying on these " little games/' 
and as, moreover, all these Indians are thievish and 
treacherous, and would think nothing of killing the 
white settlers leading solitary lives at great distances 
from civilization, the majesty of the law takes the 
form of man~of-ivar visitations. For a long time two 
small British war steamers have been detached from 
the Pacific Squadron for this special service. A 
periodical run up and down the coast by one of 
these gunboats has a very salutary effect. It is 
strange how the movements of these ships are 
known among all the Indians. The fact of the 
"Sparrowhawk" leaving for the north was always 
known before her arrival ; there is no communica- 
tion except by canoe, and yet she invariably found 
herself "expected." The special duties of these 
ships consist in their acting as the police of the- 
coast, more particularly of the inland waters, in pre- 
venting the sale of spirituous liquors among the na- 
tives ; in impressing them with the feeling that they~ 
are being watched over ; in the protection of outly- 
ing settlers ; in the adjustment of disputes, and the 
prevention of bloody quarrels among the different 
tribes, and, in some cases, in rendering assistance at 
shipwrecks on the dangerous west coast of Vancou- 
ver Island. The Indians there are among the finest 



The Indians of British Columbia. 215 

specimens, physically, of the whole British Colum- 
bian coast. Splendid boatmen, they venture out in 
their fine canoes to great distances in pursuit of fur 
seals and sea-otters. They are more treacherous, 
bloodthirsty, savage and bold than those in the 
more placid inland waters, perhaps from the fact 
that they receive fewer visits and therefore know 
that their misdeeds are less likely to be found out. 

Some years ago the " Sutlej " frigate shelled one 
of the villages, the Ahowsett, for an outrage on a 
small trading craft. Of course the Indians all clear- 
ed out into the bush and the casualties were small. 
Subsisting, however, as they do, almost entirely on 
fish, the destruction of their canoes is a fearful pun- 
ishment. It would be easy to exterminate them all 
in that way. The "Sutlej's" shell, however, did some 
damage in the long run, as several un exploded ones 
having been found in the forest in the rear of the 
village, some of the ingenious Indians proceeded to 
extract the fuzes with cold chisels to get at the 
powder, the natural result being that some half a 
dozen of them came to grief. 

In the beginning of 1869, a British lumber ship 
sailed from a port in Puget Sound. Not very long 
afterwards a trader on the west coast found the 
wreck of a ship on the beach at Hesquot. On going 
along the beach he found a number of headless skele- 
tons, which raised his suspicions. After a careful 
search he found the remains of what had evidently 



216 Canada on the Pacific. 

been a very large man, also headless, but still the 
flesh clothed the bones sufficiently for him to notice 
that the body had a hole through it as of a bullet- 
wound. He also found the skull of a woman and 
part of her body. On his inquiring of the Hesquot 
Indians what all this meant, they told him that the 
ship had been wrecked, and that all the bodies had 
drifted on shore headless. He reported the fact with 
his suspicions of foul play on his return to Victoria, 
and the result was the sending of H.M.S. " Sparrow- 
hawk" to investigate the matter, two magistrates go- 
ing in her. On her arrival a number of the Indians 
surrounded the ship in their canoes, from among whom 
the trader, who accompanied the expedition as inter- 
preter and witness, selected a number whom he sus- 
pected ; they were ordered on board and kept pri- 
soners, while a body of armed marines landed 
as a protection to the magistrates and medi- 
cal officer. The village was searched for any 
of the clothing or property of the unfortunate crew, 
and some papers, logs, etc., were found, which proved 
the vessel to have been the " John Bright." The 
party then proceeded to the scene of the wreck, 
where the remains were exhumed, and medical tes- 
timony was taken before a coroners jury formed 
from those present. The jury afterwards sat on 
board, and the suspected Indians with their Tyhees, 
or chiefs, were examined, but nothing could be eli- 
cited beyond the fact of the wreck. Every one was 



The Indians of British Columbia. 217 

morally convinced that murder had been committed, 
but how was it to be brought home to any among 
all those faces of injured innocence, all swearing 
black and blue that the sea was responsible for it 
all. Nothing was found out the first day. One 
juror, a burly pioneer of civilization, who had gone 
round in the capacity of special constable and grave- 
digger, was strenuous and earnest in his advice to 
Captain Mist to " clear them darned skunks out," 
that " they had all had a finger in the pie." It ap- 
peared he had been on a " prospecting tour " among 
those fellows before, and could not say much for 
their morals. Knowing their superstitions he went 
down that evening to smoke his pipe in the engine- 
room, which had been turned into a jail for the 
nonce, and sitting down by one of the high-flavoured 
red blanketed individuals — one who had some ex- 
perience of civilization and could speak a little Eng- 
lish, he began at him : " Now, John, what's the use of 
your keeping dark about all this ? We know all 
about it ! and that's why we're here ; a little bird 
came to Victoria and told our big medicine-man (the 
Doctor of the ' Sparrowhawk ') all about it ! Now, 
come, ' dilett wawa ' (speak straight) ! " John glared 
in horror and said he would "speak straight," and 
then pointing to another red-blanketed statue, sit- 
ting on its haunches, he said, " That's the man who 
killed the captain." The other fellow immediately 
rapped out, " And that man," pointing back, " is the 



218 Canada on the Pacific. 

one who killed the captain's wife." The next 
morning the whole tribe swore to this, their story 
being that the crew left the ship in a boat, leaving 
the captain, whose leg was broken, on board with 
his wife. The ship drifted on shore, and they landed 
either by the small boat, which capsized on beach- 
ing, or on a piece of the poop. The captain was 
shot by Katkeena, and on his wife running for protec- 
tion to the old chief, John shot her. The two were 
tried at Victoria, and sentenced to death. They were 
taken back in the " Sparrowhawk," and executed 
in the presence of the whole of the men of the tribe, 
who seemed rather pleased than otherwise. The 
mystery of the absent heads was probably explained 
by an account which came in a very roundabout 
way from a tribe in Washington Territory. It ap- 
peared that at a " potlatch " or feast some Hesquots 
told the story. The ship drifted ashore in a gale, 
and the crew deserted in the long-boat, leaving the 
captain and his wife, who landed alone, apparently. 
The Indians said to each other, " Come, there are 
only two left ; if we kill them, we can take every- 
thing out of the ship, and they won't know anything 
about it in Victoria. The unfortunate couple were 
then murdered, but at that moment the crew came 
out of the bush, having succeeded in landing a little 
further north. To conceal the first murder, which 
would probably never have been committed had 
they known there were so many survivors, they 



The Indians of British Columbia. 219 

massacred all the remainder, tied stones to their 
necks and threw them into deep water. The chaf- 
ing, assisted by decomposition, having worked the 
heads off, the headless trunks floated ashore. To 
this day the fate of the unfortunate children of the 
captain and that of their nurse, is a mystery, for 
none of their remains were found. Rumours of little 
white girls among the Indians came to Victoria once 
or twice, but nothing definite could be traced. 

The Governor often goes in one of the ships on a 
tour among the different tribes. On these occasions 
disputes between the natives, or between the In- 
dians and the miners, are settled. It was on an offi- 
cial tour of this kind that the late Governor Sey- 
mour died on board the " Sparrowhawk." Shortly 
before his death he succeeded in effecting a peace 
between two tribes who had been applying the rules 
of subtraction in an unscientific manner to each other 
for some time. The ceremony took place on board, 
and is described as interesting. Whisky was at 
the bottom of the row, as it most generally is, and 
strangely enough, the individual who supplied the 
stuff was captured a few days before in his schooner. 
The occasion was a marriage between a Chimpsean 
and a Nishka woman. A whisky feast followed; 
and during the firing of guns and pistols, a Chimp- 
sean was shot. His people cleared out, vowing ven- 
geance, which they took some time after, by killing 
two Nishkas, whom they caught fishing off the 



220 Canada on the Pacific. 

mouth of the Naas. Now, of course, the Nishkas 
considered that the debt was the other way, and 
took an early opportunity of securing repayment and 
something more. So things had gone on till one 
tribe had taken some half-a-dozen more lives than 
the other, and accounts were considerably compli- 
cated. It was at this juncture that the Governor 
arrived. The difficulty of getting one tribe to go to 
the other's village was overcome somehow, and the 
Nishka principal men went down to Fort Simpson. 
On the following morning a large number of Chimp- 
sean canoes, with banners flying, went off to the 
4i Sparrowhawk" The Nishkas were ranged along 
the starboard side of the deck, and the Chimpseans 
were placed facing them. Of course the Europeans 
looked on with considerable curiosity, and, no doubt, 
through their ignorance of the language, lost a rare 
treat of flowery and figurative eloquence. After a 
considerable period of silence, accompanied by an 
apparently indifferent scrutiny of each other, a 
grunt came from the starboard side, which was 
quickly responded to from the port. Then sonorous, soft 
and lispy sentences again from the Nishkas, answered 
by one or two " hah's," with dignified and ponder- 
ous nods. Gradually arms began to be raised, and 
the speeches flowed low, dignified and monotonous, 
answered by sententious nods, and listened to in 
deep silence and with wrapt attention. Every one 
was heard to the end without interruption. After 



The Indians of British Columbia. 221 

considerable " speeehification " on both sides, an 
agreement was come to as to how many blankets 
were to be given by the tribe which had taken 
most lives, as compensation to the other tribe. Ten 
blankets is generally considered the price of a man's 
life in Indian currency. The ratification of the 
treaty of peace then took place — a herald advanced 
from each side with a dried sea-lion's throat filled 
with swan's down, and proceeded to smear each one 
of the opposite party with a handful of it, each one 
taking off his hat to undergo the operation, till they 
all looked as if covered with snow flakes. This is 
the Indian symbol of peace, and they all wear the 
down till it drops off. Each chief affixed his mark 
to a document, which was drawn up and sealed in 
the presence of the Governor, after which they all 
sat down together to a collation of tea, molasses and 
ship's biscuits — a clay pipe and leaf of tobacco being 
served out to each to finish off with. Their idea of 
tea is peculiar, as they mix it half-and-half with 
molasses ! The Nishkas landed afterwards as guests 
of the Chimpseans. 

In the olden days the commanders of the gun- 
boats used to deal out summary justice to a much 
greater extent than is done now, and with very good 
effect, generally, as it is absurd to wade with judge, jury 
and a full court of lawyers through a slough of bare- 
faced lying. The " cat " was found a most effectual 
means of reforming thieves. There is rather an 



222 Canada on the Pacific. 

amusing story told of that period. A gun-boat, 
commanded by a fine fellow, since dead — a man who 
did much for the colony in its infancy — got into a 
hornet's nest on one occasion, and finding it perfect- 
ly useless to remain under the heavy fire of enemies 
concealed in the bush, backed out. So narrow was 
the creek that she could not turn. Like sensible 
men, they made a virtue of necessity, and only an 
idiot would have accused them of showing the white 
feather. At this time, as is often the case in new, 
and, perhaps, particularly in mining countries, the 
principal occupant of the editorial chair, in Victoria, 
was somewhat given to use his pen like a Southern 
Islander s war-club, instead of a surgeons knife. 
This Jehu, or, perhaps, more truly Phaeton, who 
drove the curricle of the press much to his own 
satisfaction, must needs make merry on this, and 
served up a highly-flavoured and considerably hashed 
account of the affair, laying great and undue stress 
on the " discretion " part of valour, and thereby 
very nearly caught a tartar. The editor was politely 
asked to lunch with the bespattered captain, and 
guilelessly went. The ship had steam up, and 
started immediately on his arrival, when something 
strange in the preparations on deck attracted his 
notice, and swiftly roused his suspicions. They 
were rigging the gratings, and he was going to have a 
hot lunch, but it was to be on his own back ! He was 
off like a flash of lightning overboard and swimming 



The Indians of British Columbia. 223 

for the shore. Of course the law was brought into 
play, and the captain had to pay heavy damages. 
Still it is a question whether he did not chuckle 
over the fright of our gallant quill driver. Lucky 
for him that his story did not end with nine tails ! 

By all accounts the Indians of the coast, as well 
as those inhabiting the interior of British Colum- 
bia, are steadily decreasing in numbers. The rava- 
ges of disease, and the immoderate use of bad 
whisky, which, despite the efforts of the prevent- 
ive service, is yet dealt out to them in great 
quantities, are doubtless the causes. Their reckless, 
filthy, and loose mode of living must also tend 
to shorten their days. Eruptive complaints carry 
them off by scores. The fearful quantities of 
oolahan grease which they devour, to an extent 
incredible to those who have not witnessed their 
feats of gluttony, would, I should think, be cause 
sufficient for the speedy dissolution of any decently- 
constructed white man. I have known my own In- 
dians (those travelling with me) devour two or three 
pounds of rancid grease at a meal, the stench of 
which was worse than that of any slaughter-house. 

The inland Indians, though they live under very 
different circumstances to those of the coast, present 
the same Mongolian cast of features, and resemble 
the latter in many other points. 

The Indian population is much more numerous 
on the seaboard than in the interior. Between the 



224 Canada on the Pacific. 

British American boundary line and Sitka, Alaska, 
I believe the coast to be quite as numerously peopled 
as further south ; but there, the Indians do not enjoy 
the same privileges as their Columbian brothers do, 
for the Americans are too apt to apply the same 
rules on the west coast of North America, as they 
have hitherto been guided by in their relations with, 
the plain tribes. ) 




APPENDIX II. 

ON THE TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY OF 
THE WESTERN LIMIT OF THE FERTILE BELT, WITH 
SOME REMARKS UPON THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND 
THE PEACE RIVER. 

[3) EFORE entering into a brief description of the 
Peace River country, or the western portion 
of the Fertile Belt of the British Nor'- West, some 
remarks may be offered upon that portion of British 
territory lying north of the Rocky Mountain House, 
and west of the North Saskatchewan. 

The Rocky Mountain House (latitude fifty-two 
degrees, twenty-one minutes) is nicely situated on 
the left bank of the North Saskatchewan upon a 
wide and level shingle terrace. It is one of the 
most securely built of the Hudson Bay Company's 
establishments, and is of quadrangular form, with 
high and strong palisades outside the dwelling- 
houses and other offices. Viewed from the exterior, 
the appearance of this fort is anything but inviting ; 
o 



226 Canada on the Pacific. 

it resembles a moderately sized gaol more than any- 
thing else, and the narrow, strongly-protected en- 
trance, with one or two diminutive side-doors, and 
an occasional sliding wicket, suggest very forcibly 
the precautions which the inhabitants consider ad- 
visable in their dealings with the Blackfeet, who are 
the principal frequenters of this trading post. These 
gentry, when they make their periodical visits for 
the purposes of trade and barter, generally pitch 
their tents in close proximity to the establishment. 
"When I last visited the Rocky Mountain House, in 
the November of 1871, there were twenty -five lodges 
of Piegan Indians in from the plains, who thronged 
the courtyard inside, and required very careful 
supervision to prevent the exercise of their thieving 
propensities, which are very strong. On this occa- 
sion I photographed a group of the principal men 
amongst them. 

Looking westward from the fort, a few distant 
peaks of the Rocky Mountains are visible here and 
there above the top of the thick forest which covers 
the Saskatchewan Valley and the neighbouring foot 
hills. A few hundred yards below, the river takes 
a sudden bend northwards, and the Clearwater, a 
beautiful mountain stream, well worthy of the ap- 
propriate name it bears, enters it. From the Rocky 
Mountain House to the Brazeau Range, and past the 
latter to the commencement of the Kootanie Plains, 
distant about ninetv-five miles, the furthest point I 



The Fertile Belt, Rocky Mountains, <bc. 227 

have reached in this direction, the features of the 
Saskatchewan Valley and adjoining country are 
rough, and travelling, either on foot or on horseback, 
is very irksome and laborious, owing to the hilly 
nature of the country, the numerous swamps, and large 
burnt tracts through which the trails are cut. The 
scenery, however, is very beautiful, especially be- 
tween the Bighorn Creek and White Goat River, 
and can hardly be surpassed elsewhere in the moun- 
tains for rugged grandeur. Further on, in the very 
heart of the mountains, the Saskatchewan derives its 
waters from some immense glaciers. The mountain 
valleys are quite filled up at this point by a huge 
mer de glace many miles in extent, above which, at 
irregular intervals, rocky and fantastically-shaped 
peaks stand up like islands in the midst of an eter- 
nally frozen sea. The eastern portion of this im- 
mense ice field abuts upon a beautiful lake several 
miles in extent, the shores of which are covered with 
forest down to the very water's edge, while imme- 
diately behind, huge mountains, elevated six thou- 
sand feet above the blue waters of this ice-fed lake, 
stand up in all the pride of their sullen grandeur. 
East of this glacier lake is the Howe's Pass, by 
which, at one time, hopes were entertained that the 
Canada Pacific Railway might pass. As one might 
naturally be led to imagine, the climate of this Up- 
per Saskatchewan country is not by any means a 
genial one, and if my memory serves me aright, I 



228 Canada on the Pacific. 

saw the mercury indicate thirty degrees below zero 
on the morning of the 9th of November, 1871, when 
campedjust within the Brazeau range. TheSaskatche- 
wan River, at the Rocky Mountain House, is about 
one hundred and thirty yards wide, and its valley 
displays sandstone cliffs, in which occasional coal 
seams appear. From this point for a considerable 
distance northward, this appears to me to form the 
boundary between the Fertile Belt and the cold, 
swampy and broken country which extends west- 
ward to the base of the Rocky Mountains. 

To my thinking the western and northern line of 
the Fertile Belt would, taking the Rocky Mountain 
House for a starting point, follow the Saskatche- 
wan to the White Mud river; thence northerly al- 
most to Fort Assiniboine, from the latter to the out- 
let of Lesser Slave Lake, and keeping this sheet of 
water for its southern line of demarcation, strike 
west by south over the Smoky River, almost to the 
base of the Rocky Mountains, or to, say, the cne hun- 
dred and twentieth and a-half degree of west longi- 
tude, then north for one hundred miles, and then 
eastward to the Athabasca, at the point where the 
Clearwater enters that stream ; finally, a south-east 
course would bring it to the Saskatchewan, slightly 
east of Fort a la Corne. All the country, or nearly 
all, to the west and north of this rather curiously curved 
line may be set down as of no great importance for 
cultivation. The southern boundary of this zone is 



The Fertile Belt, Rocky Mountains, &c. 229 

^difficult to define, the forty-ninth parallel may suf- 
fice for present purposes, but will include much un- 
fertile, arid, and treeless country, totally unfitted for 
permanent habitation. 

The gradual dip northward of the continent 
immediately east of the Rocky Mountains is 
something remarkable. Its general elevation near 
the Rocky Mountain House is about three thous- 
and three hundred feet above sea level, while 
at Fort Assiniboine two thousand two hundred 
feet may be taken as the level of the high land 
behind the fort, and at the Peace River, one thou- 
sand eight hundred feet is about the maximum ele- 
vation. The greater part of the belt of country 
drained by the western tributaries of the North 
Saskatchewan and by the Athabasca and its afflu- 
ents, as far north as Lesser Slave Lake, and east to 
the longitude of Fort Assiniboine, may be fairly set 
down as valueless for cultivation. It is a cold and 
swampy tract of country, considerably elevated, and 
much of it mountainous. Between the Smoky 
River and the Athabasca, some very high hills, pro- 
bably offshoots of the Rocky Mountains, stretch 
eastwards until within thirty miles of Lesser Slave 
Lake ; one of these spurs, that more immediately to 
the south, I crossed at an elevation of about three 
thousand five hundred feet above the sea. Another 
and still higher spur lay fifteen miles to the north- 
west, and between them the Swan River flowed on 



230 Canada on the Pacific. 

its way towards the Lesser Slave Lake. A more 
forlorn piece of country than that lying between 
Fort Assiniboine and Lesser Slave Lake cannot well 
be imagined : a tract of broken rocky land, covered 
with swamps, and valueless for every purpose but 
the chase. 

In the bed of the Swan River, elevated, probably, 
two thousand five hundred feet above the sea, at the 
place we forded it, a lignite seam, twenty-four 
inches in thickness, was seen. This was, doubtless, 
the connecting link between the lignites of the 
Saskatchewan and the strata more to the north. 
This formation (lignite) extends over a vast area 
of the Nor -West, having been recognized on the 
southern branches of the South Saskatchewan, a& 
well as on the Athabasca and its tributaries, and 
the Mackenzie and other rivers flowing into it. 
The meridian of 111 degrees west longitude may be 
assumed as the eastern boundary of the lignite foiv 
mation of the British Nor'- West, although lignite 
strata were long ago discovered on the Souris River^ 
at a place known to the half-breeds as La Roche 
Percee. This locality is about seven miles north of 
the forty-ninth parallel or boundary line, and in 
longitude 104 degrees west; but the seams there 
probably belong to the Missouri tertiary lignite 
basin. Four thin seams are here mentioned by Dr. 
Hector, and some of them were apparently very fine 
in quality, and had much the appearance of cannel 



The Fertile Belt, Rocky Mountains, &c. 231 

coal. The stratum seen at the Swan River appeared 
to be of an inferior kind, and burned with difficulty. 
About sixty miles west of the Swan River, there 
must be immense quantities of coal on the Smoky 
River ; for that stream, for many miles of its course, 
presents the extraordinary appearance of a " black 
country/' owing to frequent clouds of smoke arising 
from the combustion of the mineral upon its banks, 
and in the vicinity. 

On proceeding a little more to the north, and on 
gaining the watershed of the Peace River, a decided 
change is at once perceptible, not only in the ap- 
pearance of the country, but also in the climate. 
After passing the little belt of swampy ground lying 
between Lesser Slave Lake and the Peace River, the 
ground dips gently ; and on gaining the edge of the 
valley of the latter stream, the general elevation of 
the land appears to be only seventeen hundred feet 
above the sea level, and perhaps is even less. 

Within an area bounded by the Smoky River, the 
Rocky Mountains and the parallel of 56 J degrees 
north latitude, there lies the future garden of the 
West, now lying fallow, but yet gorgeous with many 
of the choicest prairie flowers, and replete with the 
finest wild fruits peculiar to both woods and plain. 
Beneath its serene sky, the lovely hills and dales, 
with many crystal mountain-fed rivulets between, 
afford the choicest soil on the continent, from which 
the husbandman will eventually extract with ease 



232 Canada on the Pacific. 

abundant harvests. In this favoured spot, sheltered 
on the west by the majestic peaks of the finest 
mountain range of the North American Continent, 
there appears to be a singularly happy distribution 
of prairie and wooded land. Here you have magni- 
ficent rough-bark poplars and spruce of immense 
size ; there, within a stone's-throw almost, an undu- 
lating prairie. Immense treasures of fuel lie but a 
little way beneath the surface, awaiting the advent 
of the pioneer of civilization, the snorting steam- 
horse, to be conveyed eastward, for the use of the 
less fortunate dwellers of the Saskatchewan and 
Manitoba. Through the very heart of this " happy 
valley," the noble Peace River presents one of the 
finest natural channels of inland navigation to be 
seen on the continent, by which easy communication 
with the northern sea might be opened if necessary, 
and the products of the rich fisheries of the Arctic 
easily and economically conveyed to the South and 
East. In connection with this matter of north- 
ern fisheries, it may here be stated that, if the 
Canada Pacific road be eventually pushed through 
the Peace River country, a branch road of three 
hundred and fifty miles in length, over a very easy 
and level country, would suffice to bring to the main 
line, with but one transhipment, the cargoes of the 
largest sea-going vessels. 

A few miles below the mouth of the Smoky River 
the land is very much cut up by deep gullies — the 



The Fertile Belt, Rocky Mountains, &g. 233 

result of erosion on the argillaceous strata — which 
extend to a great depth below the surface of all the 
Peace River country. All the tributaries of the 
Peace River present the same characteristics, cutting 
deeper and deeper through the clayey banks, until, 
at their junction with the parent stream, they emerge 
through ravines six or seven hundred feet in depth. 
On the north side of the Peace River, between the 
site of the old Fort and Dunvegan, the country is 
nearly perfectly level, with here and there a few 
erratics strewn over the surface. The sloping valley 
banks are occasionally rough, and some of the most 
curiously-formed conical mounds of gravel occupy 
the slopes. On the south side, the more undulating 
nature of the surface, with occasional mounds and 
ridges, attests the bygone action of the sea. At the 
site of the old Fort, opposite Smoky River, there are 
several fine level terraces ; but generally, between 
that and Dunvegan, the valley slopes irregularly to 
the water, often displaying sandstone cliffs, ruinous 
and broken, and sometimes several hundred feet in 
height. The bed of the Peace River is for the most 
part strewn with numerous boulders and gravel of 
lime stone and sandstone (the latter often forming 
most excellent whet-stones), while above St. John's 
the detached slabs of sandstone, which are found in 
profusion along the waters edge, afford the best of 
grindstones. The country thirty or forty miles 
south of the Peace River is described as far superior 



234 Canada on the Pacific. 

to that we passed through. The half-breed hunters 
and residents about Dunvegan speak of it with rap- 
ture. There they can roam on horseback over vast 
stretches of prairie in pursuit of game, which sup- 
plies the scanty Indian population with food. They 
speak of delightful lakelets of fresh water, almost 
hidden from view by the luxuriant foliage of the 
sylvan groves in which they are sometimes situated, 
while numerous flocks of feathered game dot the 
surface of their tranquil waters. 

The climate of this favoured land is singularly 
mild, notwithstanding its high latitude ; but a few 
very simple causes may be assigned for this apparent 
anomaly. The immediate proximity of the Rocky 
Mountains to windward is an important element to 
be taken into account in considering the climate. 
For one effect of mountain ranges being to drain the 
winds which cross them of their moisture, it follows 
that the warm breezes of the Pacific partially lose 
the moisture with which they are saturated, while 
crossing the elevated and snowy peaks of the Rocky 
Mountains, and reach the low country to the east,, 
divested in great measure of their protecting screen 
of vapour. This abstraction of moisture exposes the 
places to leeward more fully to the influence of ter- 
restrial and solar radiation. Hotter summers and 
"colder but drier winters are the natural result. The 
high hills south of the Smoky River also act in the 
same way, by intercepting the vapours which accom- 



The Fertile Belt, Rocky Mountains, &c. 235 

pany the south-west winds, and thus help to render 
the climate, probably, the best in the Nor' -West. 
The low gap in the Rocky Mountains, through which 
the Peace River flows eastward, also helps to miti- 
gate the climate to leeward, by permitting, to a, 
slight extent, the passage of the warm west winds,, 
which tend to lessen the severity of the spring 
months, and melt the snows at a season when the 
eastern part of the continent is yet buried beneath 
its winter mantle. The early opening of the spring 
upon the Peace River is well established, not only 
by meteorological registers, but by the accounts of 
the present residents. On the other hand, the winter 
months are not a whit more severe than on the Sas- 
katchewan or Red River, while the atmosphere is 
very much drier. Witness the fact that snow rarely 
exceeds two feet in depth, and never packs, thus 
offering wonderful facilities towards the economic 
maintenance of a railroad. Mr. Macoun, the botanist,, 
who accompanied me through the country, states- 
that the flora on the Peace River indicate a climate 
almost as warm as that of Belleville, in Ontario ; 
and he further remarks that two-thirds of the species 
observed between Lesser Slave Lake and Fort St. 
John are identical with those of Ontario. Curiously 
enough, the north side of the Peace River Valley is. 
generally bare of trees, while the southern slopes 
are thickly timbered. This is accounted for by the 
fact that the early effects of the spring sun are to 



236 Canada on the Pacific. 

speedily melt the snow, and the steep slopes, in 
consequence, soon suffer from want of moisture. On 
the southern banks, however, from being kept much 
longer in the shade, moisture remains, and the 
growth of trees and other vegetation is thereby pro- 
moted to a greater extent. From Dunvegan to the 
Rocky Mountain Portage, the southern banks of the 
Peace River are generally densely wooded, and the 
forest gradually extends southwards, until, when be- 
hind Fort St. John, the wooded region is probably 
thirty or forty miles in width. The ground becomes 
rougher in the same ratio, and behind Fort St. John 
rises towards the mountains. The Indians, however, 
aver most emphatically that further south the prairie 
extends right up to the mountains, which, according 
to their accounts, exhibit prairie vegetation far up 
their eastern slopes. The north side of the Peace 
River is generally open, and although woods prevail 
to some extent, much prairie occupies the country 
even remote from the river, a fair horse trail taking 
the traveller from Dunvegan to Fort Vermilion in 
five or six days. 

We shall now consider a very important subject, 
namely, the elevation above sea-level of the Peace 
River during its course through the country just 
described, and through the Rocky Mountains. The 
reader will bear in mind that the statistics I am 
now about to offer are derived more from data pre- 
viously determined than from the meteorological 



The Fertile Belt, Rocky Mountains, <&c. 237 

observations taken by me during the journey. The 
high scientific authorities from whom those data 
emanate will be sufficient guarantee for the eleva- 
tions of Dunvegan on the east, and Fort George on 
the west side of the .Rocky Mountains. 

Sir John Richardson, David Thompson, and Colo- 
nel Lefroy put the elevation of the former place, 
respectively, at seven hundred and eighty, one thou- 
sand, and nine hundred and ten feet above the sea. 
The Royal Engineers have estimated the altitude of 
the Fraser River at Fort George to be one thousand 
six hundred and ninety feet above sea. In my de- 
ductions as to the actual elevation of the Peace River 
between these points, I have made the datum level, 
not the mean of the three estimates of the altitude 
of Dunvegan, but the highest of the number, in order; 
to ensure a result which, if proved erroneous (as it 
very likely is to some extent), after a careful system 
of levels, will be, at least, above the truth. The mean 
fall of the Peace River, from the foot of the Rocky 
Mountain Portage to Dunvegan (a distance estimated 
at one hundred and eighty miles), is assumed to be 
eighteen inches per mile, an allowance I really be- 
lieve to be much too great. This gives the foot of 
the Rocky Mountain Portage an elevation of one 
thousand two hundred and seventy feet. Simul- 
taneous observations of the atmospheric pressure at 
the foot and head of the Portage being impossible 
when I passed over it, a reliable estimate of the 



238 Canada on the Pacific. 

difference in level between these points has not been 
obtained; but, as nearly as I can judge, that difference 
is about two hundred and forty feet. Having judged 
the course of the river, from the Finlay Rapids to 
the head of the Rocky Mountain Canon, to be about 
seventy miles, and from the Finlay to the Little 
McLeod River seventy-five miles, those quantities,- 
multiplied into twenty-four and eighteen inches re- 
spectively (the assumed descent of the main stream 
and south branch), place the elevation of the mouth 
of Little McLeod River at one thousand seven hun- 
dred and sixty-two feet; and assuming the level 
of Lake McLeod to be one thousand eight hundred 
feet above the sea, the difference (thirty-eight feet) 
may be taken as the fall of the Little River, a rapid 
stream, which, including Pack Lake, is about four- 
teen miles in length. A. pretty fair barometric sec- 
tion was obtained from McLeod Lake to Lake 
Stewart, a distance of, say, eighty miles. Adopting 
one thousand eight hundred feet as the elevation of 
Lake Stewart, the section referred to fits in very 
well ; and the fall of the Nacosla or Stewart River 
from the lake of that name to its confluent point 
-with the Fraser at Fort George, being estimated at 
one hundred feet, exactly satisfies the conditions 
required. But those deductions have been carefully 
checked throughout by the aneroid at every possible 
point, the variations of atmospheric pressure being 
taken into account, as far as possible ; and so many 



The Fertile Belt, Rocky Mountains, &c. 239 

precautions have been used in drawing inferences, 
that, unless some very grave error has crept in, the 
figures now given cannot be very far from the truth. 
The elevations are shown in the section, and are as 
follows, viz. : — 

Dunvegan .., 1,000 feet above sea. 

Foot of Eocky Mountain Portage, 1,270 " " 

Head " " " 1,510 " " 

Finlay Branch 1,650 " " 

McLeodLake 1,800 " " 

Stewart's Lake 1,800 " " 

Before leaving the question of the elevations of 
the principal points on the Peace River, some re- 
marks as to the adaptability of that river valley for 
a railroad line may be opportune. There is no 
doubt that this valley presents the lowest available 
pass in the Rocky Mountains for a line of commu- 
nication from the East to the West. It has, how- 
ever, one or two serious drawbacks — the circuitous 
route which it would oblige a railway to take, and 
the extreme roughness of some portions of the line, 
from the crossing of the Pine River until the moun- 
tains are passed altogether. These local difficulties 
may, however, not be so great as they appeared to 
me ; and if necessity should compel the roadway to 
be hewn out of the very mountain sides, while pass- 
ing the heart of the range, yet I believe the avoid- 
ance of the Fraser River, and much more rough 
country through which it would be necessary to 



240 Canada on the Pacific. 

take a line via the Tete Jaune Cache, would more 
than compensate for the increased distance and 
heavy work of the Peace River Valley route. 

But I believe that it may not be necessary to follow 
the Peace Valley at all. From many Indian reports 
which reached me, I am inclined to favour the 
belief that a pass or depression in the Rocky Moun- 
tains exists in about latitude fifty-five and a-half 
degrees north, and some thirty or forty miles south 
of the Portage Hill. Somewhere about this locality 
the Pine River is said to have its source in a lake 
which also sends its waters westward into the Pars- 
nip or south branch of the Peace River. ' If this 
route be found practicable, then the line of road will 
not pass near the Peace River Valley at all, but will 
intersect the beautiful and partially prairie lands 
lying immediately south of it, and McLeod Lake 
will probably be reached by a route one hundred 
and twenty -five miles shorter than the other. This 
route which may or may not be practicable, I 
brought under the notice of the chief engineer of 
the Canada Pacific, upon my return to Ottawa last 
March, but whether or not steps have been taken to 
ascertain its feasibility, I do not know. 

Having now briefly touched upon the topographi- 
cal features of this section of the North -West, a few 
passing remarks on its geological characteristics may 
prove interesting to the reader. The Rocky 
Mountains within British territory may be said to 



The Fertile Belt, Rocky Mountains, <Scc. 241 

lie about N.N.W., and S.S.E., and are composed of 
three distinct ranges, which appear to converge 
more closely as they extend northward, until at the 
great transverse trough through which the Peace 
River flows, they so dovetail into each other as to 
present the appearance of one huge longitudinal 
mass. 

Although T have already referred to the Rocky 
Mountain Portage Hill as being a part of the outer 
range, yet, I think, it may be considered as forming 
but a portion of the foot hills, for westwardly, and 
for many miles higher up the Peace River, there are 
hardly any mountains worth mentioning, until with- 
in a short distance of the " Rapide qui ne parle pas." 
I am inclined to put the extreme breadth of the 
transverse section of the Rocky Mountains through 
which the Peace River flows at about thirty miles 
only. However, it is difficult to say where the hills 
end, and the actual mountains begin ; at any rate the 
three great longitudinal valleys, so well defined in the 
more southern portions of the huge range, are with 
difficulty definable in the Peace River vaUey. 

According to Dr Hector, and within the field of his 
explorations, immense thick-bedded strata of lime- 
stone, associated with fossils of Devonian or Carbo- 
niferous age, together with sandy shales, compose 
the first range. The same limestones and shales 
occur in the second range, and generally present a 
huge vertical wall to the westward. The third 
P 



242 Canada on the Pacific. 

range is composed of the carboniferous limestones 
resting on slates. 

There is every reason to believe that the 
same geological features characterize that portion 
of the same general structure through which the Peace 
River flows, in so far, at least, as its component 
parts are concerned. Numerous fossils, two at least 
of which bore great resemblance to Lonsdalia and 
Lithostrotion, being seen on the banks of the Peace 
River amongst the numerous limestone boulders 
with which the river bed is strewn. 

It is curious to speculate upon the physical fea- 
tures of this portion of the North American continent 
at the period when one continuous sea stretched 
from the Arctic southwards, and not only washed 
the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountain range, but 
also filled the Peace River gap, a trough originally 
formed by dislocation and subsequent separation of 
the mountain masses. 

A mile or so before reaching the upper end of the 
Rocky Mountain Portage, the traveller from the east 
passes over a series of well-defined terraces, three in 
number, which well mark ancient sea lines. A most 
curious fact in connection with these terraces is that 
the highest of the three, as far as I can remember, 
has about the same elevation above sea level as the 
country on the north side of the river, east of the 
Portage Hill. 

It is possible, then, that, when the waters of the 



The Fertile Belt, Rocky Mountains, &g. 243 

ocean washed the upper terrace, the Portage Hill 
was a peninsula connected with the Bull's-head (a 
hill to the north) by the narrow strip of dry 
land where the traveller now attains his greatest ele- 
vation in making the portage. A sea level eighteen 
hundred feet higher than the present one would ful- 
fil these conditions, and would also suffice to sub- 
merge the eastern Laurentian axis between Hudson's 
Bay and Lake Winnipeg, or at least convert it into 
a chain of islands. " At that time," according to Dr. 
Hector, " the coast line would have left the Rocky 
Mountains in latitude fifty-six degrees N. near Peace 
River, and have followed what is now the watershed 
between the Saskatchewan and the rivers flowing 
more to the north, till it reached the one hundred 
and seventh degree west longitude. From this point the 
Thickwood, Eagle and Thunder-breeding hills would 
have formed the headlands of a great bay into which 
poured the waters of the Saskatchewan^, then inde- 
pendent rivers, and debouching where they make the 
-acute bends now known as their elbows." 

Submergence of the continent to this extent (as- 
suming the land to have been equally depressed on 
the west side) would have almost sufficed to make 
uninterrupted water communication, along the sec- 
tion exhibited, with the Pacific, or to convert the 
country between the McLeod Lake and Lake Stew- 
art into a series of islands. A depression of twenty- 
eight hundred feet would undoubtedly have caused 



244 Canada on the Pacific. 

the formation of an estuary entered from the west 
by the Fraser River Valley, and connected with the 
eastern sea by the Peace River Gap, then a narrow 
rocky inlet, similar in appearance to the numerous 
indentations which now characterize the coast of 
British Columbia. 

Although it may appear presumptuous on my 
part to speculate freely upon the age of the coal or 
lignite found in the eastern part of the Peace River 
country, yet, as the carboniferous limestone of the 
Rocky Mountains probably underlies that section 
to a great extent, the hypothesis that true coal ex- 
ists within that area may be brought forward. 
Curiously enough, a fossil in some respects resem- 
bling the tooth of the Holoptychius Hibberii found 
by Mr. Horner in the cannel coal of Fifeshire, was 
found associated with the specimen of the coal to 
which I have referred. 




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